


One Year To Love

by Twilight_Shadow_Songs



Series: Gotham Romance Trilogy [1]
Category: Batman Beyond
Genre: 56 weeks, Early Mornings, Gotham Realverse, M/M, newspaper delivery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-15
Updated: 2015-08-08
Packaged: 2018-01-08 19:49:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 74,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1136674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twilight_Shadow_Songs/pseuds/Twilight_Shadow_Songs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ghoul was /not/ expecting anything surprising on his paper-route, and yet that's exactly what he got with the second newest addition to the Wayne family Terry McGinnis literally running into him. This promises to wake up his sleepy paper route at least, though it might have been the exact last thing he asked for...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting Terry

Maybe a gang wasn’t a traditional family, by any means, but Ghoul found that this family suited him more than the high-class one he’d been born into, with their rules and restrictions. Still though, he did enjoy getting a little extra money in a legal fashion, and that’s what had led him to learning how to actually drive (Usually someone had driven him) buying a car, and applying for a paper-route. The route also suited him, even if one of the houses he delivered was the epitome of the life he’d left behind. Wayne Manor also creeped him out. It looked like a manor out of a scary movie, where the vampire or demon family was just waiting for the main character to wander up the drive so they could suck out their soul. No matter what the young man looked like, he actually wasn’t that good with scary movies. He loved the macabre, but you’d never see him anywhere near a scary movie. He got sick watching the old Wolfman, let alone the modern horror flicks. And so he made Wayne Manor his first stop, simply because it scared him and he always wanted to get it over with as fast as possible.

Wayne Manor was one of the few houses he delivered to that required a newspaper box, as the driveway to the manor itself was probably a mile. Or half mile. Given the size of the one in front of Ghoul’s former home, he wouldn’t be surprised. And since it was so long, and had a gate, it required a box. Sadly, because of obstructions and the shape of Ghoul’s little beaten up blue car, he had to get out anyway and walk a few feet to get to where there box was located and slip the paper inside. It was absolutely terrible on cold winter mornings (like the one he was currently experiencing) but it wasn’t too bad, and it didn’t take too long anyway. He barely even had to touch the creepy ass gate. He was extremely jumpy around it, but he generally focused on doing his job, and not how creepy the manor was or the sometimes odd things he thought he saw through the bars of the gate.

Which was why when the gate creaked partly open as a tall, thin black-haired young man burst through it he didn’t react immediately and was knocked over. Ghoul was extremely grateful for deciding to wear three ski-caps this morning, as they and his hood on his snow-coat greatly padded his head when he knocked it against the cold, frozen concrete ground. Still, he hit it hard enough to be dazed for a minute or two, and when he became fully aware of everything again, he realized the weight on his chest hadn’t been imagined, nor was it his cat Freedom. It was a Wayne. And while the eyes were closed and Ghoul couldn’t get the best look at him as his head was pressed into the goth’s chest, Ghoul had seen pictures of the elusive family in the newspapers he delivered. He always got to read the stories before anyone else, of this he was quite happy about, and so he had seen the thin but well-built pale males, their blue eyes and seemingly trade-mark raven-colored hair, different from the other black-haired men adopted by the family. Also, he’d noticed that they all had cowlicks at the back of their heads, and if he strained his head up and forced himself to focus on the head, he could see the cowlick. Just barely, but it was there.

Ghoul let his head thud back onto the concrete as he sighed. It seemed he had a Wayne, almost literally worth his weight in gold with daddy’s paycheck being so high and all that old money backing them, taking a nap on his chest. He figured it was probably the second youngest, as he’d once sort of known Damien, and the man was a bit bigger than this one. Ghoul shoved at the kid, but he remained out. Ghoul sighed again. After a moment’s hesitation he ran his ungloved (and freezing) hand through the kid’s hair, rather surprised when it was the soft fluffy of baby’s hair. It was softer than his cat’s, and Ghoul found himself cursing this family that seemed to have the perfect everything. Perfect hair, perfect face…it just wasn’t fair. The kid started moving at that point and Ghoul moved his hand quickly back to his side as the kid woke up, realized he was on top of someone, and scrambled off. Ghoul got up and began putting the paper back together again and slipping it back into the plastic bag. Luckily it hadn’t fallen in snow so he wouldn’t have to replace it with the free paper he got every morning this time. 

Ghoul was sidling up to the paper box when a hand grabbed his shoulder. “Hey, are you even listening to me?!” Ghoul pulled away from the hand and shoved the paper into the box and turned around, adjusting hats so he could properly move his hair out of his face. He glowered at the kid and began walking back to his car. “No, I wasn’t. It doesn’t make a difference to me whether you apologize or not, or explain what you’re doing outside in December at 2:30 in the morning. I have a job to do, it has to be done by seven, and waiting for you to explain just wastes my time” he was just about to the car when he heard some movement behind him and made the mistake of turning around. The kid looked so dejected and lost. He had a similar face to Freedom when Ghoul had rescued her, and his rough annoyance melted away. He noticed a very full-looking back-pack with the kid and swallowed. A potential runaway, he was extremely familiar with that. Hadn’t he been in the same position once upon a time? Ghoul rubbed his forehead and jerked his head at the car. “Get in, you can help me with my route-consider it retribution for knocking me over. We can talk while I drive”

The relief and gratitude on the kid’s face made Ghoul feel pretty damn good. Maybe if he could convince the kid to stay where he was and ride out the storm, he wouldn’t walk the same path as Ghoul.  
~*~  
While they were driving, they talked, and Ghoul learned some interesting things about a family he only sort of knew. The kid’s name was Terry, and he and his younger brother Matt were illegitimate children. Terry had kept the last name of his supposed father, but Matt, being deemed too young to choose, had had his last name legally changed to Wayne. Terry didn’t get along well with most of the several adopted children of his father, Dick (which Terry had jokingly said was the most accurate name since the beginning of time and Ghoul had laughed a bit) thought he was a pretentious punk, Jason didn’t trust anyone, but he was especially mean to Terry and Matt, and only Tim, Stephanie, and Helena (another illegitimate child of Bruce) were actually nice, though Tim was hesitantly so and Stephanie only seemed to be nice to the third biological son of Bruce Wayne because she was fond of his younger brother. Helena was strictly an ‘I’ll give you help if I think you deserve it’ but was there when Terry needed to rant. Except obviously this morning. 

Damien was, according to Terry, the devil in the flesh. From what Ghoul remembered of the blue-eyed man, he had to agree. Though he didn’t say anything about it to Terry, as he hadn’t mentioned also being an heir, or his actual name. Saying he’d known Damien when they were children (unwilling playmates for a few years) would raise too many questions, so he just nodded in agreement and privately sympathized with Terry. If Damien wasn’t beating the kid bloody he was terrorizing Terry’s friends or Matt. The worst part was that Bruce wasn’t particularly sympathetic.

“He just won’t listen to me!” Terry muttered angrily as he stuffed papers. “He just…he’s always glaring disapprovingly at me, or taking one of the other’s sides, or ignoring the fact that Matt’s eleven and wetting the bed again!” Ghoul looked at him sympathetically before getting out of the car and delivering a house. He kind of wished he had had a sibling to cling to when he woke from his nightmares as a child, but then again, leaving had been so much easier without a brother or sister who needed him there. Which brought up a good question; why was Terry running away without Matt? He got back in the car and took a minute to warm his hands before backing out of the driveway and going down the busy street. It both annoyed him and endeared him that Gotham was constantly moving and alive, but it did make his route of mostly main and busy streets that much more difficult. Terry looked at him. “Why aren’t you wearing gloves? It’s like, six degrees outside!” Ghoul shrugged. “My cat dragged them off somewhere. I’ll find them, but I don’t mind doing the route without them for now” Terry peeled off his black gloves and handed them to Ghoul, who flushed in embarrassment but took them anyway. “Thanks…” they were a little big, Terry might only be seventeen but he already had the hands of his father. They were also warm already from Terry’s body heat and the warmth felt really good.

“So, where do you want me to drop you off when I’m done?” It had been a bit since Terry had loaned Ghoul his gloves, and they were about halfway through the route. He glanced over at Terry, who seemed to realize that eventually Ghoul was going to have to drop him off somewhere, if the blank look of terror was anything to go by. Ghoul rubbed his forehead. “Do you want me to take you back to the ma-” “NO!” Ghoul started at the shout and winced. Terry had a set of pipes. He focused on the lights as they turned and shrugged, not looking at Terry. “Well, you don’t seem to know where you’re going, and from what you told me, Matt still needs protecting…” Terry hunched over and looked at his hands. “I don’t want to go back” He said in a small voice and Ghoul felt pity, but in the long run, for the mental health of the youngest Wayne at least, it would be better if Terry waited till he was legally able to leave. “Who’s going to be there to defend him from Damien, or take care of him when he has nightmares?” while Terry looked like he was wavering, he still didn’t say anything and Ghoul sighed. “As a kid, I didn’t have anyone to take care of me when I woke up screaming. Nobody cared. I would have killed for someone to, to hug me when I woke up, or…or tell me everything was okay, but I never got that. You can give that to Matt, though” 

Ghoul refused to look at Terry, instead looking down at the wheel and his hands gripping it so tightly they were white, or looking at the road, but not at Terry. He started when a hand touched his shoulder and finally looked at the black-haired teen. There wasn’t really pity, and Ghoul had a feeling Terry’d gotten the point of the story. 

He flinched when a hand clasped this shoulder and he looked at the dark haired teen, a little surprised and suspicious at the touch, but the look on Terry’s face didn’t reveal any higher motives, just a weird kind of identification, so Ghoul ultimately decided it was alright.

~*~

When the last paper was delivered, Ghoul idled in front of the house for a few minutes, to allow Terry some time to decide for real on what he should do. After a few minutes, he whispered “Take me back home” and Ghoul began driving to the manor, though he almost got the feeling that Terry had meant somewhere else. Of course, he had been the illegitimate son who was recently adopted into the family proper…he probably considered wherever he’d lived before to be his proper home. But there was nothing Ghoul could do about that.

They pulled up to the manor and Terry just sat in the car for a bit. Ghoul turned the engine off, having a feeling they might be there a bit, and the car was warm enough it wouldn’t get immediately freezing in a few minutes anyway. On the way there Ghoul had taken off his hat and scarf, and the sharp, gaunt face and golden elbow-length hair and he had pretended not to notice Terry staring at him in the halos of passing streetlights when they drove. Now, though, they were in relative darkness and Terry was staring at his shoes. Ghoul sighed and nudged the brunette with a hand. “It’s going to be scary, but it’s better if you go back. ‘Sides, I doubt the ones that really matter are up yet” Terry gave a not so hopeful half-shrug. “My family tends to be bat-like” Ghoul snorted. He’d always suspected the patriarch of the Wayne family never slept, so it confirmed was no surprise. He was amused that the many adopted sons and the one other biological son had, presumably, followed in their father’s footsteps. And yet, Ghoul doubted any of them would see a penny’s worth of the fortune. 

Ghoul was brought out of his musings by a hand on his shoulder, moving up to his neck, and then cupping cheek and a fair amount of hair. He froze, eyes wide. “Don’t-” was about all he managed before a needy mouth met his and he was pulled into an actually quite innocent kiss. In any sort of situation that catches you by surprise, you automatically go into one of three reactions; fight, flight, or freeze.

Ghoul chose fight.

One hand pushed Terry away, strengthened by panic, and the other reached for his pocket, pulling out a switch-blade and holding it like a shield between himself and a confused and now hurt looking Terry. A placating hand went up and Ghoul jabbed at it before he managed to force himself into a state of calm. He swallowed and put the knife away before resting his head on the steering wheel. Terry made a small sound and Ghoul held his hand up. “Stop, just. Stop. I need to process this. Meet me same time next…what day is it?” “…Tuesday…” “Meet me the same time next Tuesday, and we’ll talk. But for now you stick it out at home and I figure out…how to address this…” No, Ghoul was not good with sudden shows of affection, but apparently he was handling it better than Terry had hoped, if the look of hope on his face was anything to go by when Ghoul chanced a look. The blond goth sighed and waved Terry out of his car. “Go. Just. Get out right now. I said we’d talk. That’s it” The cautionary words did nothing to quell the annoying hope on the kid’s face, though he obeyed and got out of the car, grabbing his pack and heading back to the gates. Ghoul stayed there for a while longer, calming himself down after the kiss, and trying to wipe the heat that had pooled in his cheeks off of his face. This was a dangerous game they had started playing, but he didn’t mind.

After all, it might end before it began next week, when he talked to Terry next.


	2. Working Things Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The meeting is on, and Ghoul and Terry are at slight odds. Of course, there is the problem with Ghoul having history with the Waynes, and being seven years Terry's senior, but it would seem Terry shares the defining trait of his biological family-the inability to take 'no' for an answer

Terry got to the gate exactly as the beaten up little blue car pulled up to the gates, and an extremely bundled Ghoul got out of the car. It made Terry feel a bit guilty, it was cold, sure, but not that cold, and He had a feeling that the new-looking gloves and extra scarves were to dissuade any and all physical contact that might occur. Terry walked up to him with what he supposed was a hurt curiosity and Ghoul sighed. “We’ll talk about it after the route, get in the car” Terry gestured at Ghoul’s outfit and the blond moved the scarves down a little so he could impale Terry on an icy stare from dove-grey eyes. “I don’t trust you. Get in the car, we’ll talk” Terry frowned and walked behind Ghoul, grabbing him when he put the paper in the box. “You can’t just-!”

In exactly 0.3 seconds he found himself on his back, a bony gloved hand cradling his head an inch above the pavement, and a switchblade at his throat. There was also a heavy boot planted solidly on his chest. Narrowed grey eyes glinted dangerously through the hat and scarves. The hand cradling Terry’s head dropped it onto the ground and hooked the scarves under Ghoul’s sharp and narrow chin. “For your general safety, I wouldn’t do that again. I’m actually armed this time, any most probably any other time in the near future. Now get in that damn car, and we’ll talk. Got it?” Terry’s eyes narrowed to dark and dangerous sapphire bits and his mouth tightened. He gave a curt nod and Ghoul let him up, fully prepared to attack him if he tried anything. Terry just gave him an appraising glare, and turned to get in the car. When his back was turned, to the time he turned to glare at Ghoul through the window, the blond relaxed. Then, he was on guard again and the game was on.

It was tense in the car. Ghoul had made it very clear that any talk about last week and what would happen now would be reserved for after the paper route, when they had time to talk about it without being interrupted every little bit by getting in and out of the car for paper delivery. So, the current conversation was mostly small talk, with a tense undertone. Terry still rankled that someone he’d cowed so easily the week before had managed to knock him over. Ghoul on edge because he knew Terry was probably thinking of a way to get past the blade and paying him back for fighting back. He was gentler than Damian, but he was still a Wayne, and they were brilliant and scary in a very dark way.

“How’s your little brother?” It had been silent for a little while and Terry jumped, getting pulled out of his musings of how strong exactly Ghoul’s hands were. Probably the point. Terry frowned and shrugged slightly, looking at the human-shaped figure in the driver’s seat. “He told me to tell you ‘thanks for convincing Terry the Majorly Stupid to stay for a bit. It means a lot’ word for word, no lie” Terry was pretty proud and mollified when this caused Ghoul to laugh so hard he almost crashed into a fire hydrant. He had meant it to be funny, but he had to wonder which part Ghoul himself found funny. And exactly which part and how funny was it, to make him almost wreck his car?

Finally, finally they were done, though Ghoul seemed to make the last couple of houses take as long as possible. Terry patiently waited through it, though his fingers tapped impatiently on the window until Ghoul reluctantly slipped back into the passenger seat. “Could you drive to a parking lot, please? I think we have a lot to go over” Ghoul looked at him warily, sighed, and did as he asked. “You can take off the hats and scarves and gloves now, you know” Ghoul’s hand clenched around his knife. “I think not” Terry snorted. “I won’t touch you if you don’t want it. I’m just saying you might be a little more comfortable” After a long pause, Ghoul shrugged and slowly began taking off the gloves, scarves, and hat. After a moment, he shrugged off the outer coat too.

Terry looked at the other with interest, noting that the lighter coat was baggy where it shouldn’t be, indicating that Ghoul was very, very thin. He wondered if the guy had an eating problem, but refrained from asking, he was already skating on thin ice with him. Ghoul shifted uncomfortably under the interested gaze of Terry and frowned. “Okay, we’ve parked, you wanted to talk? Start talking” Terry blinked, taken aback and rubbed his head. Maybe it was odd, but he had a slight feeling of whiplash from the abrupt way Ghoul said the sentence. Terry took a breath, gathered his thoughts and addressed the problem they’d put off till now.

“I want to date you” Ghoul snorted in derision but Terry continued. “No, really. I do. I bet you think I just want a one night stand-” Here Ghoul gave him a sharp ‘well, don’t you?’ look that made Terry falter but he continued, sincere and pleading. “Everyone I know has been chased away by…by…” He wasn’t exactly ready to call them his family, and was grateful when Ghoul gave him a sympathetic look. “Everyone’s been chased away by the others, but I don’t think you will” Ghoul put a hand over his mouth and Terry wasn’t sure if it was from derisive laughter or dawning horror. “Besides, I like you. Like, really” Terry smirked as a faint blush crept up pale skin-very obvious and harsh in the shadowy dark of a car under a streetlamp and then Ghoul looked away, but there was a patch of neck that Terry could see peeking out from under platinum blond hair, and it was strawberry red. 

“I’m…twenty-four, Terry”

Terry did the math in his head quickly. Seven years, Ghoul was seven years older than he was, making it a pseudo-illegal relationship. If a person was sixteen or seventeen, more than four years their elder was seen as a bad thing. No wonder Ghoul had freaked out so royally the week before. However, Terry was the son of Bruce Wayne, and had inherited his mind. “In a year I’ll be eighteen. And it’ll be legal then” Shoulders tensed and the strawberry darkened into a wine color. Terry wasn’t one for tasting his partners, but he had a sudden desire to know what that patch of skin tasted like. “I barely know you!” Terry snorted. Oh, he almost had him, he could tell. “In a year, you’ll know me. Really, it’s not that big of a deal” Ghoul sighed in defeat.

“Okay”

Before Terry could cheer Ghoul got very close to him, arm with the switchblade wrapped around Terry’s neck, the blade by an artery. “Ground rules: No fondling or kissing” A small pause, and then “In public. Because I know teenaged boys, and your brothers’ and father’s exploits precede you. No mentioning this to your family. I don’t want to set foot in that manor, but on the off chance I do, I’m a friend. Just a friend. No sex with me. Have sex with someone else, maybe once a month because I don’t want to deal with you being needy” Their cheeks were pressed together and with the soft warmish breath of Ghoul in the shell of his ear, Terry was having a hard time thinking coherently. 

Terry wrapped strong arms around Ghoul and pulled him fully into his lap, pulling him till they were flush against each other. The knife loosened, and then fell from nerveless fingers as Terry kissed his way up a swan-like neck. “Good thing there’s your route then, isn’t there? Too early in the morning for even sex on Main Street to be considered ‘in public’ isn’t it?” Skinny arms gently but firmly pushed Ghoul away from the insistent mouth and he looked down at Terry, a half-smirk on his face. “Don’t push your luck, McGinnis. Besides, I think it’s time I got you home” He smoothly untangled himself from Terry and settled back into the driver’s seat. “Buckle up” 

~*~

When they got back to the manor, light was just daring to show its face to the shady grounds, and was edging around the building itself in fear. Terry sighed and Ghoul shrugged. No, this wasn’t going to get easier, walking back through the gates. He looked at Ghoul. “So, next week or…?” Ghoul raised an eyebrow. “Once a week till I decide where exactly I stand with you. You might like the touchy feely, which isn’t bad but weird for me, but I would like to prepare myself mentally till I get used to it” And figure out how to hammer into that thick skull just how risky this was, for both of them.

Terry shrugged and got out of the car, only pausing to turn around and give an only half-way surprised Ghoul a quick peck on the lips before getting out and getting to the gates. The crunch of frost and hum of a diminishing motor was what tipped him off Ghoul had driven away behind him. He couldn’t blame the guy, but he wished he’d been able to drive away with him.

Halfway up the drive and was when Terry’s situation sunk in, and he began grinning like a fool. It lasted till he was inside and on his way to his designated room when Damian and Dick, who had been arguing heatedly, ran into him. Damian scowled at his little half-brother. “You look stupidly happy. Did you make friends?” The dangerous eyes and quiet tone made the smile, and good feelings, vanish. Dick folded his arms and looked with annoyance and bemusement at his adoptive brothers. “Now Damian, where would he find someone this early? He was probably trying to find a good escape route. Again” Terry’s frown deepened and he glared at them, ice sparking from those blue eyes. “It shouldn’t matter what I was doing. Neither of you are my keepers” Damian snorted. “If we’re not our brother’s keepers, then what are we?” Dick raised his eyes to the ceiling. “Loosely quoting the bible does not validate your point to spy on people” Damian smirked. “You’d know, wouldn’t you?” This resparked their argument, and Terry managed to get to his room without further problems.

He collapsed on his bed, tired and depressed, but the small seed of happiness and rebellion was hot inside him, and he fell asleep, grinning.


	3. Wayne Manor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghoul hates Wayne Manor, he made that clear to Terry. He doesn't even get why he has to 'get familiar' with the place so soon in the relationship anyway. Still, it is good to see some faces...

Terry had insisted, that to make it easier for the relationship when Terry was of age to be accepted by his family (not that Ghoul had any real hopes that the relationship would last the year needed for Terry to be of age; the boy was too needy and Ghoul too reserved from his own rich upbringing) that they had to know about Ghoul now. 

Ghoul, of course, had resisted. 

However, he hadn’t been left with much choice or opportunity to wriggle out of it as Terry had told him that morning that they’d be spending the day together, and he was going to ‘meet’ some of Terry’s family. (Though the blond had no doubt that most of them were aware of him, had analyzed the relationship, and were just quietly watching until a time would arrive to interfere) Ghoul still felt it prudent to argue against it, since he’d mentioned he was afraid of the manor and some of its occupants. Terry had responded with a ‘well, you don’t know them’ and Ghoul had brought up that not even Terry liked his half and adoptive siblings, and Terry knew them, and the black haired teen had lapsed into a sullen silence, glaring at Ghoul for several minutes.

Finally, Ghoul cracked. It was too much like having Damian glare at him and it unnerved him. Terry wasn’t suited for the sullen glares and quiet death threats. He needed jokes (which he did a lot of now that certain things had been discussed) and snarky remarks, and smiles. Ghoul knew enough about the family to know that small things like this got to them, so he relented with a sigh. “Don’t make this a recurring thing, please. I really hate places like the Wayne Manor. It’s like a horror show waiting to happen” which Terry seemed to understand. A quick kiss, a promise that yes, Ghoul would meet him at the appointed time and they’d go to hang out. 

So, now Ghoul was at the front doors, feeling odd. He hadn’t been at the front steps since he was twelve and still a rich little brat with a mild fear of Damian. Now, he was a self-exiled rich boy with a much wiser view to the world, and a massive fear of Damian. He had a weird feeling that he needed to go to the servant’s door around the back. However, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door-knocker, feeling very small and young again against the imposing black of the manor looming so high above his head. The door creaked open after a time, and Ghoul stared into the face of only one of two men he ever considered a father figure. Either Alfred Pennyworth had shrunk, or Ghoul had grown, because they were the same height.

_The small blond boy sat on the steps of the manor as a tall man bandaged his hand in clean white bandages. “If you don’t like playing war and torture, tell Damian ‘no’ Stewart” Sighed the man as the boy sniffed and scrubbed at his eyes with a filthy hand. “I don’t know how to do that, he’s not easy to tell no Alfred. Besides, the games aren’t so bad, I can get away from the torture bits if I’m fast enough” The pale, sick looking boy gave Alfred what he hoped was a brave, fierce face. Alfred sighed and simply put away the medical things. “One day, I hope you can be strong enough to do than more than run away, master Winthrop. I believe you can, do you?”_

“-Help you?” Ghoul started from the rush of memories and blinked. “I’m sorry, what?” Alfred sighed patiently and repeated; “Sir, can I help you?” Ghoul swallowed. “I’m here for Terry, actually. I-we-that is…we were going to hang out….” In a sort of but not quite date, but of all the things pushing at his lips to tell Alfred, first being who he was, the fact he was dating one of Alfred’s charges, and not one of the girls, was one of the last things he wanted to say. Alfred, on his part, was looking at Ghoul with interest. 

“Young master Jason had assumed the young master Terrence was making the meeting up, his self-defense training won’t be done for a half an hour, mister…?” Another thing Ghoul would never admit was that he’d called himself ‘Ghoul’, not to this man. So, he smiled wanly and gave the ‘real name’ he gave Terry, which was actually his middle name. “Carter. Uh, call me Carter” something passed across Alfred’s face, too fast for Ghoul to tell what it was, before the polite mask was on again and he nodded politely. “Very well. Since it’s too short a time to validate leaving, why don’t you follow me to the kitchen while you wait for young master Terrence to finish his training with young master Jason” Ghoul winced. He knew how hard Jason went, even in practice and training sessions. “What’s the exercise?” Alfred again gave him a glance before looking ahead again as they walked down dusty and rather familiar halls to the kitchens. “Bamboo swords, Kenjutsu as the medium being gone over” Ghoul really winced this time. The art of sword-fighting and mental preparedness for war? Terry was going to be black and blue when he was dismissed. 

The kitchen was just as warm and homey as Ghoul remembered. Some of his only fond childhood memories were in the Wayne Manor kitchens, which he was starting to realize had made up much more of his childhood than he’d ever let himself remember. Of course, in retrospect, why wouldn’t it be? He was the only one who let Damian push him around for so long. A willing little follower who never said no. Of course, that was the same position he was in now, a willing little gang boy who never said no to a good heist.

Ghoul jumped at the sound of a teakettle being placed on the stove-top and nodded at Alfred’s look. Yes, he wanted tea. Nobody made it like Alfred, not even Ghoul’s other father figure. The blond waited a bit aimlessly as he waited for the water to boil. He knew he should probably sit down, but couldn’t quite bring himself to do it. He just couldn’t relax enough. He’d spent much of his childhood and early teenaged years here. Drinking tea and being comforted by the man in front of him, and here he was again, and he couldn’t even bring himself to tell the man who he was. It hurt, but in an odd, good way. No matter what, he hadn’t quite outgrown the need to be here again and talk and drink tea. He hadn’t outgrown just how good that felt, and it pleased him, because it was a small reminder that he hadn’t ended up as twisted as most of the people he knew.

He sometimes forgot or doubted it.

The kettle whistled and Ghoul laughed a little. He didn’t know what to say, he was laughing from the push of so many feelings, and didn’t know where to start sorting them out. Alfred looked at him a little oddly and Ghoul bit the inside of his cheeks, blushing in embarrassment. “Sorry. My cat…she hates the sound of a kettle whistle. Jumps and hisses, will even bat at the kettle until I turn it off” Alfred smiled slightly. “What’s your cat’s name?” “Um…Freedom” Alfred laughed slightly. “Fitting” Ghoul was the one who gave Alfred the odd look this time. Did he know?

At the older man’s gesture, Ghoul sat down at the table, though still largely tense and ready to jump up and vault out of there at a moment’s notice. “So, master Carter, what do you do?” Ghoul stared at him for a moment before it clicked in his head. “Oh! Uh…Paper route, actually. Among…other things…various odd jobs, you could say” Alfred gave him a sharp, gauging look. “These ‘odd jobs’ they wouldn’t include illegal activities, would they? Such as burning a warehouse or stealing from jewelry stores?” Ghoul slouched a bit in his seat. So, the Wayne family had been watching him. He’d never sleep again. “I honestly can’t really say if ‘stealing’ is the right word, I was cleaning out a closed store. And I got paid to burn a warehouse too old and broken to be reworked into something new or useful” Alfred raised an eyebrow and handed Ghoul his tea. “Ah, I see. Thank you for clarifying for me”

They sat across from each other for a good while, making small talk and sipping tea (blackberry and lemon, just like when Ghoul was still Carter and wore braces and had much shorter hair, suitable for then) Finally, Alfred stood up and began walking to the door. “Do you want to come with me to retrieve young master Terrence, or do you want to wait by the door?” Ghoul blanched and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll wait by the door, thanks. I think I can find my way” Alfred looked at him with what Ghoul thought might be disappointment or sadness, but he couldn’t tell. “Still running away, Stewart?”

~*~

Ghoul was shaken, that was an understatement but it worked. He was shaken, but good for him that living with his parents had done some good and left him with a superb skill in masking most of his emotions. So Alfred knew him, he’d have to ask how later. And politely ask that Jason stop spying on him, because who else but Jason would actually do that? Besides Damian, and the oldest Wayne son had no tact so Ghoul knew that if Damian knew who Ghoul was, the entire city would. Or there would be mysterious letters in his mail already with an ultimatum of do this for me or I tell your family where you are. Damian just had to be evil in every situation, and that made him predicable.

“Hey!” Ghoul turned slightly to see Terry, as bruised as Ghoul had figured he’d be, walking quickly towards him, grinning. Jason was walking behind him, a sour expression on his face. “You really don’t deserve to go out, brat. Your swordfighting wasn’t nearly good enough” Ghoul coughed slightly, to keep Terry from turning the verbal challenge into an argument. “If it makes you feel better, if I come to the manor again, I’ll go a round. Him and I, two to one” Jason smirked at Ghoul as Terry looked between them, not sure to feel horrified or admiring. “You don’t look like you can even look at a weapon without getting injured, how can I trust you to be a good fight, even with the dead weight here helping you?” Ghoul smoothly pulled out his knife, extra flourishes not necessary, but still fun. “It’s not a sword, but I haven’t hurt myself once with it. So there’s that” 

Jason nodded. “Right. Well, see you if you deign our presence again, and I’ll make sure to beat you soundly. Just remember to be at least a little of a challenge, yea?” Terry rolled his eyes, but looked at Ghoul with renewed interest as Jason walked away. “I told you that you’d be good around my family. Jason doesn’t even scare you” Ghoul laughed a little wildly as he opened the doors for himself and Terry and escaped into the freeing air of the outside world. “Actually, he scares me shitless” For a moment he allowed his body to feel the pent up panic and fear he’d been holding in since entering the manor and leaned on Terry for a moment with how badly he was shaking. “I don’t like big manors, they make me feel trapped”

Terry had the sense to wait until they got into the relative privacy of the car before he leaned over and hugged Ghoul tightly. 

~*~

Ghoul did know, of course, that Terry had asked him to the manor so he could exhibit some rebellion against his family. A ‘hah, see? I don’t need your permission to have friends’ which was funny, considering Ghoul had been the sole playmate of Damian when they were both children. Strange how the world worked at times. Ghoul and Terry went to the mall, to talk more and look around. A mall, with various stores and areas to explore had always been Ghoul’s favorite place to take other people. It was the best way to get an idea of who they were, through likes and dislikes. What stores did Terry like, which ones did he avoid? Ghoul kept careful note of each one Terry suggested. The young Wayne liked the electronics store, and lingered over the albums. He enjoyed reading, especially noir-esque murder mysteries. The punk stores he had some interest in, and he largely avoided the sports stores, unless there was wrestling equipment he wanted to look at. He liked strawberry smoothies and was allergic to kiwi. 

It was important to Ghoul that he know this about Terry. If they were going to have this relationship, and he was apparently playing the “female”(for lack of better word) part, then he might as well go all out and take it seriously. And that meant thinking of Terry when it came to food and health and likes and dislikes. To be honest, it was nice caring about people other than his gang crew and his cat.

At one point, they wandered into a costume shop, and Ghoul put on a brown witch’s hat with a large buckle. Terry grinned. “If you had zombie make-up on, you’d look pretty intimidating” Ghoul laughed at that. Him? Intimidating? Terry was dreaming. To get the younger man back, he pointed out a black cat-suit (though on the label it said ‘sheik bat’) and nudged Terry. “You’d look good in it, I bet” Terry blushed and pushed Ghoul back lightly. “Maybe next year” Ghoul smiled a little. “Don’t count your chickens. A lot of things can happen in a year” Terry frowned at him. “I’d like to have some hope, thanks” Ghoul shrugged. Suddenly, his phone rang in his pocket (ringtone ‘do it like a dude’) and he knew it was Delia, crazy ass daughter of their boss, and one of the people on his particular crew. If it had been Terminal, the Japanese ending of Disgaea 2 played (“I’m a being of solitude” followed by screams, then whimpers, then silence as the sound of flesh being ripped off bones and joints being cracked filled the air). 

He sighed as he listened to Delia for a moment before ending the call and looking at Terry. “I need to go. A friend did something stupid and I need to help her fix it” as in, she’d locked J-Man in the bathroom again with a live wire and over-flowing faucets and toilets to try and murder her boyfriend for the umpteenth time, he’d said something that had melted her heart, and now she couldn’t pry the door open so would Ghoul pretty please with sprinkles and no cyanide on top please come and pick the lock before her sweetest sweetiekins electrocuted, please?

Terry looked both curious and disappointed and Ghoul rubbed his forehead. “You can come over…next week, if you want. To meet my friends. They always bum at my apartment” Terry grinned and Ghoul shrugged. “Well, you did have me come to the manor. Fair’s fair and all that rubbish. Let’s get you home, okay?”

Ghoul drove just barely at speed limit, because J-Man was locked in a flooding bathroom with a live wire right there, and the kiss Terry gave him was brief but sweet. He afforded a moment to watch the kid go to the manor before going back to fix Delia’s mess, as per usual. Well, at least the day hadn’t been all horrors like he’d figured it’d be. There were still some good things about it, that made everything so much better.


	4. Meeting Jokerz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghoul seeks advice from his closer friends, and then lets Terry meet other friends. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea, but too late now!

Ghoul hadn’t bothered going to sleep the night before. The reason being there were four highly dangerous people at his apartment the entire night and he’d given up trying to kick them out at about 12:15. It just wasn’t worth the death threats from the Dee Dee’s and their boyfriends. And since Delia was willing to almost electrocute her boyfriend, he wasn’t going to really push it. Or got to sleep. The last time he’d gone to sleep when they were there was the day he woke up with a noose around his neck and his cat stuck in the microwave-luckily they’d forgotten to turn the microwave on. 

So, he’d stayed up the entire night on his bed playing games on his phone while they caused minor chaos, watched tv or ‘quietly’ went at it in the bathroom. Terminal and Deidre didn’t really, though they did make an unholy amount of sweets and savory dishes by the time his paper route time came, and he had to write down an entire list of things to go to the store to buy with his paycheck (luckily it would be coming in a few days) as they’d used literally everything in his cupboards and refridgerator. They’d even tried using cat food, which he’d managed to convince them _not_ to do, though they had made cat treats instead. That was fine by him as Terminal had a nasty habit of unsettling everyone he came into contact with besides the other daughter of the boss they all worked for. Though considering who her twin was, Ghoul wasn’t surprised.

At some point he’d wandered into the kitchen while they were working, carefully moving a banana cream pie off a chair and sitting down, and talking to the two cooks. The tall football player-esque other goth wasn’t a bad person to talk to, when he was doing something he enjoyed and being near favorite person. And since he was currently in a situation with both, he was almost nice. Almost. Deidre had looked over at Ghoul, Rapunzel hair done into a tight braid and wrapped in a bun so no hair would get into the delicacies she was making and raised an eyebrow, though smiled. “So the ghoul came out of his crypt. What do you need?” Terminal had snorted. “Could be he’s forgotten how to charge the phone again. How can someone who hacks the government for fun not know how to work a damn phone? Honest to God…” Ghoul ignored the jab from his rival in all things electronic, as forgetting how to charge the phone had happened once and didn’t deign a response. 

“What’s the age ratio between you two?” The two had actually paused in their cooking and looked at each other, Terminal rubbing the neck under the long reddish-brown braid and Deidre chewing her lip. “Um...two years, I believe” She started, and her boyfriend hand nodded in agreement. “She’s sixteen and I’m eighteen” Ghoul nodded. They were in the legal range of adult and minor relationships. He found a spot to rest his arm on the table (which was literally creaking from piles of food on it) and propped his head on his hand. “How do you two deal with that? I mean, when you’re not together or on jobs you live extremely different lives. He’s applying for college, you fit in part-time night classes for your highschool, and you both deal with crazy family” Deidre and Terminal looked at each other again and Ghoul made a face. They were doing it again, the creepy ‘look at each other and communicate an entire conversation in a glance’ before looking back at Ghoul. “You want to talk about something?” It was even creepier when they spoke in unison.

Bit by bit, the story so far was prodded out of him, sans the whole ‘secret heir’ parts. He got around it by strongly hinting he used to be the son of some servants since let go in the Wayne Manor, and had been delegated as playmate to Damian. Ghoul wasn’t sure if Terminal bought it, but Deidre did and so the guy didn’t outwardly question it. Deidre considered it a pseudo forbidden love story, like the ones that Delia was obsessed with, and was full of sympathy and excitement. Which her sister somehow picked up on across the apartment, and dragged J-Man in and her sister apparently communicated the related story to her, apparently because they had developed a special language between themselves (this was supposedly typical with twins, especially ones who’d been left to themselves for a majority of childhood) and he soon had a more crazy girl fawning over the situation, and trying to give him advice.

“Okay so, like, you’re the “girl” right? Bondage. Do bondage and tie yourself up! Or, go through his older brother. Since you’re kinda friends with the guy, create a love triangle! And then totally blow them off and go for the sister. Or, lead on all four of them! Or make an orgy with fruit, cream, and bondage. Lots of bondage” Ghoul made a face, grateful when J-Man clapped a hand over his girlfriend’s mouth. “Delia, thank you for your imput, but I don’t want to go to jail for sexual harassment quite yet. Also, I mentioned I’m not a fan of Damian, right? He was a royal terror and from what I’ve seen, he’s only gotten worse the older he got. And what the hell is your obsession with the biological children of Bruce Wayne specifically? Besides, I’d _never_ go after an eleven year old child!” Delia pouted (thankfully it was one of her more lucid moments) and slunk off, muttering something about how Ghoul had no imagination or vision of good storytelling. Once J-Man had followed her to make sure she didn’t try to hang anything with shoelaces again, Terminal and Deidre gave their input.

“You don’t want to let Terry know that you’re connected to the family, specifically the brother he seems to dislike most, but Alfred knows who you are. And the family is a pit of vipers that spy on each other and already probably know who you are. Considering that, I wouldn’t tell him for a few months. It says something your boy’s family hasn’t said anything to him yet, so until both of you have really cemented it, I wouldn’t say anything” Said Deidre thoughtfully, chewing on a cookie that Terminal had made a few hours before. “By the way, what’s in these? I want this recipe!” Terminal smirked and kissed her. “I’ll teach you the recipe. My grandmother taught me it” He looked at Ghoul. “Go with what Deidre said. But, be careful. Obviously nobody in the family has a problem with you or we wouldn’t be having this conversation. One wrong move though, and you and Terry are done. I think it’s good that you laid out ground rules on how far you can go, but show some emotion. You have a problem with that, reminding yourself through text messages when to feel happy or whatever. Yes, I looked at them, they were funny. Anyway, work on it. The last thing he needs is you unintentionally pushing him away, and a relationship would be good for you. Possibly” Ghoul scowled at the brunette and privately promised to set a mega virus on the guy’s computer, good advice or no.

Ghoul ran a hand through his hair and stood up; preparing to go back to his room to play phone games for the last hour or two before his papers were dropped off and he started his job. “What should I do about today? I said it without really thinking…” Terminal shrugged. “I’m not going to be here, I’ve got some stuff to do. Namely polish a gun and pause a biological clock permanently” Terminal had to be the only poetically polite hit-man Ghoul knew. Deidre grinned. “When it comes time, Me and Dot can bring some people over, and Dot’ll give you a make-over, and we can finally have the excuse to rifle through your closet!” Ghoul reddened, thinking of the embarrassing outfits he’d have to hide before the girls came into his apartment again. “Let’s not let Delia near him, okay? She’d do something terrible” Terminal snorted. “I’ll take her along with me, she loves playing wing-man” Ghoul looked at him gratefully. Maybe he wouldn’t give him that virus, after all.

~*~

It didn’t take a genius to tell that Terry was excited for later in the day, which made Ghoul smile a little. He wasn’t in love, or really viewed Terry romantically (he’d left that little detail out as well in the retelling of the story) but he did appreciate him, and it was easy to get caught up in his emotions, which Ghoul used to his advantage so Terry wouldn’t notice that his companion wasn’t actually emoting too much. In fact, Terry was so excited that Ghoul actually had to remind him several times to continue stuffing the papers into the bags so he wouldn’t run out halfway through the route and have to pause to stuff papers. Even six minutes late docked him half a week’s worth of pay and while he didn’t really need the money, he’d much rather prefer _not_ have to contact his parents after all this time and beg for money. 

Though it was a little annoying to constantly remind Terry to do the job Ghoul brought him on the paper route(as it was a good excuse for Terry to continue sneaking out every Tuesday morning), besides the obvious, Ghoul was relieved to see Terry so markedly different from just three weeks ago. He was so much happier, and Ghoul had a feeling that Terry was an extreme extrovert, which he dismally resigned himself to, despite the fact that his extreme introvert tendencies were going to clash painfully with Terrie’s extrovert sometime in the future. 

When the paper route was done, Ghoul and Terry idled in front of the manor because Terry wanted to just cuddle for a little while. Damian and Jason had been especially cruel the last week over the fact Terry had a friend in his life. This might have explained the fact that though Terry was naturally the dominating one, he curled into Ghoul like a child in the backseat, which, despite himself, Ghoul found extremely cute. Ghoul again enjoyed the baby fluff soft black hair under his finger tips. It was extremely soothing, this. Terry’s heartbeat thudded rhythmically into Ghoul’s stomach and calloused hands loosely fisted in Ghoul’s shirt (it had been getting warmer so he’d foregone most of his winter wear, including the heavier coat, and had taken the lighter one off specifically for more comfort laying together) on either side of Terry’s head were interesting weights. Terry was also a little warmer than most people, which Ghoul had at first thought it meant he was sick, but apparently it was normal for him. It was a nice contrast to the cool of the window, which Ghoul was propped against.

An interesting thing to learn was that if he scratched lightly at the nape of Terry’s neck he made an interesting sound just a step away from being a purr. Being a cat person, this amused Ghoul immensely and he alternated from scratching that area to stroking Terry’s head. Eventually, when dawn was stroking nervous fingers along the bars of the gates, Terry got off Ghoul, who immediately missed the heat and heartbeat, and worked his way to the passenger door to get out. He smiled at Ghoul, and then got out. Ghoul stayed there for a moment before a thought crossed his mind and he vaulted to the door, wrenching it open and almost launching himself out of the car, catching himself at the last second on the frame. 

“Terry! What time do I get you?” Terry had turned around, eyebrows raised. “Um…I guess around noon…I don’t have any practice or lessons or anything until after two today so…” Ghoul nodded, composed again. “Okay, sounds good. I’ll get you at eleven thirty” He closed the door and got into the driver’s seat, not noticing Terry’s bemused smirk as he drove off.

~*~

“Fucking hell Ghoul! Have you ever seen the sun, or do you really sleep all day” The pale blond heaved a sigh as Dot complained about his skin tone, having found that her lightest shade of foundation was still too dark for his skin tone. “You know I don’t sleep all day. I’m just utilized where I’m best; in the dark, crossing wires and hacking computers” He was leaning back in a kitchen chair in the bathroom, head and shoulders resting in the lap of Saiko as she worked on the upper face and his hair. Deidre was doing his fingernails. Now, he didn’t like make-overs, he was _male_ and had some masculine pride, but Dot loved make-overs, and Deidre liked doing manicures, and Saiko just liked having time with other people other than her group and Woof, so Ghoul had figured it would probably be wiser not to protest the make-over when Deidre had suggested it. Because he’d have been tied down and it would have happened anyway.

Saiko tapped his forehead and he dutifully opened his eyes, rather amazed she could properly apply mascara with his face upside down from her perspective, (mascara being yellow, to match his blond lashes so his eyes would be highlighted, and Terry wouldn’t notice he was wearing make-up) as Dot gave up on the foundation and instead just went for light blush-which she only had to apply lightly, as it showed up very well on Ghoul’s face. Ghoul did protest the lip-stick, but didn’t get very far before Saiko smacked his forehead and wagged one manicured finger in front of his eyes, causing him to shut up and let Dot apply it. 

Finally, they let him up and he turned and looked in the mirror, after Saiko was kind enough to slide off the sink so he could look at himself. They’d plucked his eyebrows (another argument they’d won. He really needed to work on saying ‘No’ and making sure people got the message) a little, making them a bit more streamlined. The mascara highlighted his eyes and the lashes seemed longer. He turned his head from side to side, trying to catch another thing that was different, and then

“You used shimmer on me? I look like somebody turned Legolas into a Twilight vampire!” Deidre tried to stop from laughing as Dot looked affronted at her hard work being compared to a Twilight vampire and an elf prince. “You look better than you usually do. It takes a lot of work to make you look even half alive, be grateful you went from zombie to vampire-it’s a step up” Ghoul gave her a death stare, which she matched. His hand snapped out and grabbed her nose. “Yet, a ghoul is _living-dead_. Technically, I just took a step down, right? Get the fucking outfit you picked out for me before I slam you into my wall”

No, he’d never liked Dot.

He released her and she stumbled back, rubbing her nose and staring at him hatefully before going to the bedroom and grabbing the net-shirt, orange half-shirt tank-top, and the black cargo pants. Ghoul shooed the three out of his bathroom as he put the clothes on and ran a brush through the now lightly highlighted hair before walking out of the bathroom. Saiko and Deidre stared, and even Dot paused sulking for a moment. “Hot damn, if you weren’t expecting someone, I’d jump you” Ghoul chuckled. “Thank you Dot. But I’d push you off. I don’t want to catch anything” She gave an outraged look and huffed off. 

Ghoul allowed himself a good minute of childish glee at how easily he could tick Dot off, before he glanced at his clock and dashed for the door. It wouldn’t do to be late picking up Terry, and he didn’t feel like sending someone to get him. The only one who’d do it was Trey, and he’d had his license revoked for a very good reason.

~*~

Terry didn’t mention Ghoul being a little late, but he did raise his eyebrows at the denim jacket and the rest of the get-up. Ghoul shrugged. “You can talk to the ones who picked it out; they’re waiting at my apartment” Terry smiled a bit. “Most of it looks good, actually….why are your cheeks glittering? You look like a vampire, or something” Ghoul began laughing insanely and waved Terry off when the teen tried to see if he was okay. Some things were worth embarrassment. Though he was still going to murder Dot in her sleep.

Dot had, thankfully, gotten mad and left the apartment and a few harmless others had taken her place. Much to Ghoul’s general annoyance, he was one of the few calm and sane people that everyone went to for clarity or down time in the large network of crime Joker had acquired. Everyone could relax in Ghoul’s apartment, or talk to him, because Ghoul tended to know _everything_ , and offered rather good advice. Even if half the time he was a smart talking ass who laughed at the predicament in the first place. Today though, Ghoul was glad for the steady stream of people coming in and out of his apartment. It meant he could be sure Terry wouldn’t get it into his head to try anything. Besides, he had told the teen that he’d get to meet a friend or two, so it was nice not to be turned into a liar.

Ghoul never called or invited anyone, they came when they wanted, and generally they came in just the time Ghoul wanted, too. When they got to the apartment building, in a rather nondescript part of Gotham, neither a very rich area nor a very poor, it had a few people walking by. They were other people in Ghoul’s building, and sometimes invited him for meals. A forgettable, quiet area, right where everyone could notice it so no-one did. Terry tilted his head at it and curse him, used the brilliant mind he inherited. “This is a perfect place for hiding, isn’t it? Everyone assumes everyone else has nothing to hide. So nobody thinks to look in the place nobody has anything to hide in for someone hiding” Ghoul ruffled Terry’s hair absently as he worked to fight down a moment of panic. “You’re reading too much into this, I think” but of course, he wasn’t. That’s what scared and interested Ghoul. A good boy like this, with a mind so fast working and dangerous? There was more than frustration with his family, then. There was boredom too.

The door to Ghoul’s apartment was open before he touched the doorknob and he looked down into the slightly frantic face of Coe, the youngest member of Joker’s direct group, his starter gang, the Jokerz. A circus reject their boss had a nasty sense of humor. Especially considering Coe was eight when he’d first joined, and was fourteen now. Bucktoothed, scrawny, and tiny from malnutrition, the kid was also one of the fastest and sweetest people Ghoul had ever met, and he considered Coe to be a younger brother. “Coe, what’s wrong? You look like Spike’s trying to melt a hole in my wall again” Coe swallowed. “N-no…but he is here…” It took a second for Ghoul to push passed Coe, unconsciously grabbing Terry’s hand and dragging him along. 

Spike, Coe’s actual brother, was a pie obsessed, poison obsessed, and acid obsessed little piece of snot that Ghoul looked at with a mix of annoyance and caution. Half the time he wanted to melt someone’s face, or poison them with something new he’d mixed, the other half he just wanted to bake pies, and Ghoul could never be sure which one Spike was going to do at any given moment. Coe had developed a high resistance to most poisons, and had acid burns all up and down his arms and legs. Luckily, this time, he’d decided to snag pie from Ghoul’s fridge and sit down to watch television. Ghoul sagged against the wall in mute relief that he wasn’t going to have to patch up his wall again or call poison control about his cat ingesting anything, and Terry squeezed his hand, alerting the blond that he’d been holding his hand the whole time. 

“So, uh, who’s that by the way?” Ghoul looked at Coe, then Terry, then an interested Spike. “He’s….” actually having to label Terry left Ghoul suddenly speechless and he looked at Terry again. “I’m a new friend of Ghoul’s. Hello, I’m Terry” Coe grinned. “Like a friend with benefits? He hasn’t had one of those in ages” Ghoul rubbed his neck and looked ruefully at Coe. “A bit more complicated than that, kiddo. Good Dee Dee and Terminal made shepherd’s pie and a thing of custard. It’s in the fridge and you can have all you want” He hadn’t even finished the third sentence before the sounds of dishes being placed on the table came from the kitchen and Ghoul laughed a little. He looked over at Spike. “That had better not be the boysenberry one. Boysenberries only grow in western America and I will be extremely pissed if you ate them. Dart-playing pissed” Spike blanched and looked at the label at the bottom of the dish, relief washing over his face. “Blackberry” Ghoul nodded. “You get to keep your finger today, now if you promise not to melt a hole in my wall, I’ll be in my room with Terry” he didn’t need to be a super genius to know that Terry had a look on his face.

The moment they passed through the door, Terry grabbed a narrow wrist and did a weird maneuver, somehow closing the door and landing with Ghoul in his lap on the bed, all in one move while Ghoul tried to figure out that a moment ago he was standing and now he was sitting on someone’s lap. Arms around his waist kept him on Terry’s lap and the blond stared down at the smug face of the second youngest Wayne if not in name then certainly in actions and thought processes. Ghoul made a movement to get off, and gentle arms wrapped firmly around his waist, keeping him sitting and pulling him closer to Terry. Ghoul smirked down at Terry as he wrapped arms around his neck. “One month since the agreement, and you can’t control yourself? What did I tell you two weeks ago?” Terry rolled his eyes good naturedly. “I’ll take it to heart. But I just wanted to hold you” they both chuckled and Ghoul kissed Terry’s forehead. “There’s still a very large possibility that this won’t happen, you know. It could all fall down around your ears” Terry looked into Ghoul’s eyes, twin pieces of icy sapphire boring into his consciousness. “Then I’ll build it up again. I’ve gotten good at that” Ghoul shook his head. “If you can find me, Terry” He was very good at hiding. And in Gotham, there were enough hidey holes and layers of city and grime that even with all the connections of Terry’s family, they’d never find Ghoul, and both he and Terry were aware of that. Probably why the arms tightened more around Ghoul than before.

~*~

Conceding to a semi-short make-out session left Ghoul a little breathless, and Terry chewing off the lipstick, which he had noticed and found funny Ghoul even let people put it on him. Ghoul had tactfully changed the subject and convinced Terry to get something to eat with him. Out of the bedroom. Where nothing could happen with the amused eyes of other people making the teen self-conscious. Saiko had come back, and was showing Coe how to make an origami crane when Ghoul and Terry walked out of the room, and Coe grinned at them. “Have fun?” Ghoul snorted and walked past, grabbing two plates of random things from the counters, ruffling the hat around on Coe’s head as he moved past. “A blast. Finish your origami and don’t snap the neck this time, it gives you bad luck” judging by the clock, they had enough time to eat and then drive back, so Ghoul wasn’t too concerned. While they ate Terry talked a bit with Coe and Saiko, who had gotten her vocal cords sliced a year or two ago and had become mute, listened and occasionally sign something or nod. 

Nobody mentioned the gang, as they were all more or less “off-duty” and were relaxing. Fine by Ghoul because he didn’t know exactly how Terry would take it, and wanted to tell him on his own terms, if they got that far. Instead, they talked about sports, television, favorite comic books and music, as well as the over-rated older brothers Terry and Coe both shared. Eventually, Coe got dragged away by Spike and Ghoul and Terry went back to the car. It was a quiet drive, with Terry glancing at Ghoul now and then with some odd look, though not negative look, that Ghoul wasn’t sure he understood, before they arrived at Wayne Manor. 

Terry sat in the car for a moment and rubbed his forehead. “Well, they seemed nice, if a bit…odd” Ghoul shrugged. “The world needs all sorts” Terry shrugged. “They just weren’t what I was expecting, is all” Ghoul chuckled. “No, I suppose not. Alright, you need to go in or I think Jason will happily skin me alive” Terry looked rather alarmed and jumped out of the car. “I don’t need him doing that to people I like!” Ghoul refrained from a ‘wait, what?!’ and just waved at Terry before getting out of there. That had unnerved him for the week. He had a feeling that Spike and Jason shouldn’t ever meet. Or Terminal and Jason for that matter. It was a whole lot of death just waiting to happen.


	5. You call me an Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghoul and Terry talk, and Terry gets a little insight on how Ghoul views their relationship, and himself.
> 
> Oh, and they take their shirts off and look at each other's scars.

It was odd being with someone who was so compliant yet so emotionally removed from every situation. Yes, Ghoul laughed, or smiled, but it never seemed to reach all the way down inside him. There was a calm, a calculating part that Terry could never seem to puncture, except the first time they’d met, he’d done it in spades. But every week after? Six weeks of knowing Ghoul and though he blushed from time to time, smiled a little here and there, he was largely unaffected by Terry. It annoyed the young man to no end to be so acutely aware that Ghoul held himself at such an emotional distance from him. 

Terry had never been one to play with dolls, it disserted him when Ghoul acted like one, but he didn’t know how to tell the older man what bothered him. Of course, he wasn’t totally an unknown factor, Terry had looked up his new ‘friend’ and found a rather extensive rap sheet, though the misdemeanors had considerably lessened in severity once Ghoul had gotten too old for juvie. That discovery had made Terry smile a little wryly. Of course he wouldn’t be stupid enough to get a serious rap sheet, Ghoul had basically stated he was too good for even a Wayne to find, so back-up plans were probably extensive. It did make Terry wonder though, if that was why Ghoul was so reserved. He was always expecting to have to cut and run.

Terry knew about Ghoul’s gang. It was about all he knew. The man was harder to find definitive facts on than Terry’s step-mother, Selina Kyle. Well, almost. But where Selina specialized in misdirection and clever half-truths replacing her files, Ghoul just had encryptions and a hell of a lot of viruses waiting for anyone dumb enough to start digging beyond the given surface information. Terry was never one for that sort of thing, but nor was he one to ask for help. So, he just fumed over the whole thing and waited for a time he could either directly ask and/or force Ghoul to tell him everything, or manipulate the manipulator, and drag it out of him with as many messy emotions as possible, little bit by little bit to prolong Ghoul’s discomfort and make him get used to the fact that he’d have to be okay with opening up to Terry, to make good on his promise to at least try to develop a romantic relationship with Terry.

A time to manipulate Ghoul presented itself on the morning of the six Tuesday they’d been together. A cold snap had happened, and it was freezing, but Terry had coaxed Ghoul to take off most of the layers, and they were in the back of his car again, kissing. Terry decided to work his hands under Ghoul’s shirt, and since it was cold, softly closed eyes snapped open and the thin body moved under Terry, trying to get away from the roaming cold hands. “No, Terry stop” Terry paused and looked at Ghoul. “You said ‘no fondling or kissing _in public_. This is your car, not ‘in public’” Ghoul looked rather annoyed that his words had been thrown back at him, which was a first. “I’m serious, get your hands out from under my shirt, they’re _cold_ ” 

Terry just gave him a look. “That the real reason, or are you trying to guilt trip me?” Ghoul gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, frustrated. “Terry, please” Terry frowned slightly and ran his hands across Ghoul’s flat stomach and across the shallow valleys made by the curves of his hips meeting his lower stomach, it slightly worried Terry how thin Ghoul was. Terry lightly trailed fingers along the slightly scarred skin, the soft scarred skin contrasting with the stretched, hard, raised skin of a deep cut that had never been stitched and had never been healed properly.

Ghoul hissed and grabbed the hand that was exploring that scar, yanking it up and away. Terry curled the hand into a fist and pulled it out of Ghoul’s loose grip. “Ghoul, why do you have so many scars on your lower stomach?” Terry was flawless at feigning being clueless, and Ghoul fell into it. For some reason, he acted guilty around Terry. The teen really hoped it wasn’t still because of almost running away; because it would be really annoying really fast if it was. Though sometimes, he had the feeling Ghoul looked at him and saw someone else, so maybe it was that. Though now, Terry used the guilt to his advantage and slipped a hand around Ghoul’s. “I’ve got scars too, okay?” He sat back and pulled off his shirt, glad he’d taken his coat off already. 

Terry had been in a gang when he was younger, before his parents had died. He’d just gotten out of juvie when his father was murdered, and had managed to wipe his hands of the last of his ties just before his mother had died of cancer, the letters between her and Bruce Wayne had been found, and he and Matt had been adopted into the family as just the latest illegitimate foundlings. Because he’d been in a gang, he had his share of knife wounds, as well as tougher skin and a well-toned body from fighting and running, which had gotten even more defined after coming to the Wayne Manor. Ghoul stared appreciatively before sighing and sitting up, taking off his own shirt.

Terry stared at Ghoul’s scarred body. It wasn’t so scarred that the scar tissue bulged from his skin like ropey muscle, but in another few years Terry had a feeling it probably would. Most of the scars were rather old and had smoothed out and softened while others were ridges or fairly recent and still hard. Ghoul had leaned against the window again, and the blond hair looked silvery in the dim light, falling over and getting caught on the scars in a way that Terry found incredibly attractive. Grey eyes peered from a shadowed face and for a moment Terry actually wondered just how dangerous Ghoul could be. There were bullet shaped scars on his shoulder and side, some scars were deep and Terry knew he’d given as good as he got, and he knew how to use a knife. If Ghoul hadn’t thought the teen worth his time, what would have happened?

Terry’s thoughts were interrupted as Ghoul broke the spell and leaned forward, touching one of Terry’s scars with interest. “Well, you’re a bit of a scrapper, aren’t you? heh, these aren’t all from scrapping with the adopteds, is it?” He ran his hands expertly over ragged scars and raised skin like he knew what had caused what. Actually, he probably did. Terry put his hands on the other’s shoulders as he was gently pushed to the opposite window and Ghoul got busy exploring the new territory, flinching a little when Terry began exploring more fully, but relaxing eventually and kissing Terry.

Who was wondering how exactly he’d gone from manipulating to this. Not that it was a bad thing, but not what he’d been expecting. Though, it wasn’t hard to flip them, despite the limitations of the backseat, and Ghoul stiffened, surprised. Terry sighed, smiling wryly at him. “You’re always thinking, aren’t you?” Ghoul smiled slightly. “So are you. Don’t push me, Terry. You agreed to no funny business until you were eighteen. Stop trying to break your promise” Terry wondered if the guy wanted to keep this innocent for more than the pedophilia cast over it all. From what Terry had managed to snag, there had been a lot of darkness in Ghoul’s life. 

Probably didn’t mean anything considering his actual feelings, but Terry was determined to change that. 

Eventually they went to simply sitting, Ghoul leaning against Terry and dozing as Terry wrapped loose but protective arms around the narrow waist. The pale hand caught Terry by surprise and he flinched as Ghoul reached up and behind him and carded gentle fingers through Terry’s hair, coming to rest on his cheek. “And so the angel holds the devil, ignoring the time when eventually, the devil will be pulled back to hell, and the angel dragged away to heaven”

Terry’s arms tightened protectively around Ghoul. “I think I’d fight that” A soft snort. “You think, you say. You don’t know” He carefully pried Terry’s arms away and grabbed shirt and jacket and coat. Terry slumped back in the seat, knowing this meant that for this week, they were done. “What about you, then?” Ghoul sighed. “Terry, _cool it_. Stop pushing me to make a great confession, because I can’t. Wait the agreed time, then start asking” Terry frowned. “But you feel something, right?” Ghoul laughed and touched Terry’s nose with his finger. “I’m interested, but we’ll see where this leads. Now get your shirt and coat on, you need to get back home” 

Terry growled a little, but did as he was told. Something told him he’d have to get used to Ghoul not being open about what he really thought or felt. It was getting a bit annoying. Terry got out of the car as Ghoul slid back into the driver’s seat. “Oh, Terry” The dark-haired teen looked back at the other, blinking as he saw a light blush creep up his neck. “You can start coming every Tuesday and Friday, starting next week” Terry grinned. 

Progress. Not much, but it was there.


	6. You're just a teddy bear, darling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine's day is upon them, and Terry learns a little more about his older sister Helena, and his boyfriend Ghoul.

**TUESDAY**

Blue eyes blinked blearily as Terry registered his alarm clock. Tuesday, at two-thirty in the morning, so he could meet Ghoul at three-fifteen, when the guy came to the gate to deliver the paper. There wasn’t any warning, but Terry somehow knew if he was late, the blond wouldn’t wait for him. The deadline was really important for him to make, and Terry wondered if he was having trouble with money, and if Ghoul’s pride would allow him to accept help from the kid he was dating, or if he’d consider it a bribe for sex. He’d probably consider it a bribe for sex.

Terry swiped at the alarm clock and got out of bed, yawning and stretching. It wouldn’t do any good to be a bit stiff for when he walked down to the gates. He dressed warmly and began the process of sneaking out of a house full of insomniacs. The fact that it was a _manor_ never seemed to matter, and at any given time of the night you could hear the members of the household padding up and down halls, or muttering to themselves in their rooms. Or, you heard their lovers sneaking in and out, but that was neither here nor there. 

Actually, it rather surprised Terry that he kept getting away with it, it was kind of mind-blowing. Though he smiled a little ruefully when he got to the doors, and there was Helena sitting in a chair there, reading a book. She looked up when Terry gave a slightly strangled sound, and smiled at him. Terry swallowed. Helena only smiled when she had gotten someone in her claws. “Oh, Terry! Going for a walk? I can’t sleep, so I’ll come with” Terry could only imagine what his face looked like, because it made Helena laugh a little. Why were all the people who’d been raised in Wayne Manor crazy weirdos who enjoyed causing pain and discomfort to others? Though admittedly Helena was better than Damian, and she was extremely protective of Matt, so Terry couldn’t totally hate her. 

He gave a small nod and she stood up, placing her book on the chair she’d been sitting in and linking their arms before leading her younger brother outside. It wasn’t too bad this morning, a light flurry of snow and a light crackle of frost on the drive, but nothing too bad. Terry couldn’t even think of trying to escape and bolt, because Helena’s fingernails were hooked into his arm. Not quite into his flesh, but definitely into the coat and it made him wince if he moved the wrong way. 

“So, how have you been, Terry?” Terry wet his lips. “Uh…okay, I guess. It’s been hard here” Helena nodded sympathetically. She’d had an easier time because she’d known who her father was, and Bruce had developed a relationship with her while she was growing up, but Terry and Matt had never known their actual father, and it seemed Terry and Bruce didn’t know where to start for a good father/son relationship. But for Helena, it had been hard, but still alright when she’d been brought to the manor after Bruce had finally married her mother. She’d been mid-teens then, close in age to when Terry had been brought. She could only sympathize there. 

“Have you been sneaking out every week to take a short break so you can better cope with how hard it’s been?” Terry stumbled and stuttered over his words. “Uh, I…how did you know?” Helena chuckled. “Dear father is a powerful man, head of a powerful company, and patriarch of an exceedingly powerful family. There have been…situations. You don’t think he wouldn’t have designed and installed a cutting-edge security system, do you? I like tinkering with it, though. It suits my needs and apparently it suits yours” Terry wasn’t naïve enough to not catch the subtle message there and he sighed. “What do you want me to do, then?” Helena smiled a little sadly and pulled a note out of her pocket. “Ask your friend to deliver this for me, please. The recipient doesn’t have a permanent address, and if anyone would know where to find a ghost, it’s another ghost”

Terry blinked at her, wondering how much exactly she knew, and then deciding maybe he didn’t really want to know. He ignored the ghost comment; it wasn’t something he’d never heard before. Ghoul insinuated similar sentiments often enough on his own. Still, Terry took the note (‘To Scorn) and nodded as they reached the gates, which was odd because he could have sworn they had just started, but he’d been too nervous to really pay attention to the walk, so he supposed that had something to do with it.

Helena released him and smiled a bit sadly. “Make sure that gets to him, okay?” she turned and walked away as Terry went through the gates and to Ghoul, who was just getting out of the car. Terry stuttered out the message from Helena to Ghoul and the blond raised an eyebrow and looked from Terry to the note to the receding figure of Helena and gave a half-smile. “Well, well, well. I suppose this makes sense. Good to know the rumors are true” He took the note and went to the car, putting the thing away in the glove compartment, and Terry knew better than to ask what exactly he meant. Besides, it was Helena’s problem, not his. It would only become Terry’s problem if Ghoul got hurt, so he put it out of his mind.

**FRIDAY**

Terry practically bounded to the car as Ghoul pulled up to the manor gates. He had a small bag clutched in his hands and was grinning from ear to ear. He had a good feeling that Ghoul had specified Friday since Friday was Valentine’s Day. The thoughtfulness made the Wayne heir extremely happy, even though he knew Ghoul would probably blow it off as coincidence. 

Ghoul was laughing by the time he stopped the car and got out, amused at how eagerly Terry was waiting by the gates. “You look like a little puppy” He said, though not entirely unkindly. It didn’t even slightly dampen Terry, who just grinned wider. No, he never usually got so excited for Valentine’s, even when he’d dated Dana, but he was excited for this. It was the first real holiday he’d be celebrating with Ghoul, or really since he’d come to Wayne Manor, so he was extremely excited for it. 

Terry waited for Ghoul to put the paper in the box and followed him back to the car. When he opened the car door he stared in surprise at his seat. A small pink rose and a little box of chocolate strawberries. Ghoul shrugged at Terry’s look. “A pink rose represents appreciation. I appreciate you. And you mentioned at one point you like chocolate strawberries, so I got you some” the simple gesture hit home with the teen and he picked up the rose and fruit and sat down, wordlessly handing Ghoul his present. Ghoul opened the bag and blinked.

Terry had gotten him a teddy bear. He must have seen the small pile of them when they made out in his room. Terry watched the blonde’s face carefully. “You hate it” The flat, disappointed certainty produced a short burst of harsh laughter and he shook his head, putting the wine red bear on his dash.

“I, uh, wasn’t allowed toys as a child. Well, no dolls. No action figures, no stuffed animals. But I like them, I do. They’re soft, and you can imagine that they hug you back”

In moments Terry had pulled him into a big, tight hug, wrapping as much of the skinny body into himself as he could. For a long moment Ghoul seemed to be at war with himself, but he eventually melted into the hug, hugging back. Which was actually the very first time he had. “Do you sleep with stuffed animals?” It came out of Terry’s mouth without thinking and Ghoul froze again, before chuckling and breaking the hug. He leaned in close to Terry and smiled at him teasingly. “I don’t think that that’s any of your business at this point, McGinnis” 

During the route, Terry pretended not to notice when Ghoul rubbed the bear’s ears or patted the head when he thought Terry wasn’t looking. It added to Ghoul’s mystery, and it made Terry a little sad. He had a feeling Ghoul would realize this if he let on about the fondling of the bear, and Terry already had an idea of how Ghoul disliked pity. It made him all the more determined to find out Ghoul’s past, but not in a way that really hurt the blond.

Terry owed his new Valentine that much, at the very least. He wasn’t like his older siblings.


	7. Jealousy? Never

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghoul is feeling something, possibly. Why else would he get so mad at the idea of sharing something he enjoys so much? This makes Terry incredibly amused. So some games are in order, though it probably won't get anyone expressing any true emotions anytime soon, it keeps them busy.

**Tuesday**

Ghoul knew it wasn’t going to be a good day when he woke up tied down to his bed with Delia debating loudly how best to dissect him without killing him. She was in one of those moods again. He knew better than to panic and struggle against the ropes tying him to the bedposts, but he did a little because it made Delia feel better usually and more likely to let him go. She laughs shrilly and he smiled at her. The best way to deal with Delia when she got like this was to treat her like she was six. She didn’t notice, and responded to it best. 

“Delia, do you mind cutting me loose? I have paper route to do” She stared at him uncomprehendingly and he just worked the strained smile even further. “I’ve got to meet a Wayne, Dee” the result was immediate as she squealed in joy and began cutting him free with the scalpel she had been preparing to use on his stomach. He sat up and rubbed at his wrists, noticing the red rings and deciding to wear long sleeves so Terry wouldn’t notice and comment. He didn’t get a chance to consider it further as tiny hands pulled him around and close to Delia’s face, wild eyes searching his frantically.

“You were serious about the Wayne, right? Can you get me some hair? I want some hair! It’s such a pretty black…” While she never specified which Wayne she wanted hair from, Ghoul still felt an odd twist in his stomach at the thought of giving some of Terry’s hair to Delia. It was soft and fluffy and smelled like vanilla and honey and was honestly not the best to cut, since it would probably fly away or something. Such light hair that it was.

Still, Ghoul nodded his agreement to get her Wayne hair and she hugged him before letting him go. It wouldn’t be Terry’s hair, but maybe he could get the teen to get some hair, if only to make sure that Delia didn’t snap and kill and/or maim Ghoul for not getting her what she wanted. There was something about the Wayne family that apparently fascinated the genetic mess that made up Delia’s family, and Ghoul wasn’t going to question it, as much as he wanted to. It would probably drive him as bonkers as the four he technically worked for. 

He got ready, placated Delia with custard and old Pokemon tapes, pulled Freedom and J-Man out of the oven (that was new) and called Deidre to pick up her sister and make sure the older twin got a proper amount of sleep. Lack of sleep was generally what caused her to go crazy six-year-old on everyone. He also called Dot because she and J-Man shared an apartment, and he was drunk off his ass. Once it was all settled, he slipped out of the apartment, trusting Deidre to come before the Pokemon episodes ended and Delia went pyro on the building. Or skin his cat, whichever idea occurred to her first. 

Terry was waiting when he arrived, which worried Ghoul. Because of the morning he had been a little late, he didn’t want Terry to have been waiting ages for him. It would just be embarrassing if the….whatever they had ended just because Ghoul couldn’t get there exactly on time. It didn’t matter if he came only three minutes late, punctuality had been hammered into him since he could toddle. No snack if he was even a minute late to the table when he was small, so now timeliness was a big deal to him. 

Still, Terry didn’t seem too annoyed, and was a bit more understanding when Ghoul just said some friends had held him up. He didn’t tell Terry he’d been tied to his bed and had to save his cat and friend’s boyfriend from the oven. He wasn’t stupid. Though, when he did open the door and start walking to the box, Terry practically jumped him in an unexpected hug that almost knocked him over in an odd echo of the first week, but Ghoul couldn’t bring himself to mind so much. After all, he hadn’t been tossed completely to the ground, so that was good. And Terry hugging him, that warmth against his easily chilled skin, especially through the shirt, it felt good. 

He did grunt in annoyance, as a matter of course and while he hugged back for a moment, ultimately brushed the teen off in favor of getting his ordeal with the manor over with for the morning. He gave Terry a smile though when he walked back, to show he wasn’t really mad. A wounded puppy look immediately brightened. It amazed Ghoul just how easy Terry was to please, he really was like a puppy that way. 

During the route Ghoul was a bit quieter than usual, nodding and saying yes or no to the questions and conversation, but still debating how to ask Terry how to get hair from one of the other Waynes, because the last thing Ghoul wanted was Terry cutting off a hank of his own hair for nutty Delia. Even though she’d been in a mental break, typically she’d remember if she made requests and would demand that they be met, no matter what. He didn’t realize Terry had noticed something was wrong until the young man touched his shoulder when they were almost done and Ghoul jumped, accidentally hitting the horn for a few seconds before his muscles relaxed and he could remove the hand quickly from the horn.

“You going to tell me what’s wrong, or are we going to play 20 questions again and not really get anywhere?” Well, Terry was a bit smarter than he usually let on. Those moments of insight always surprised Ghoul. The blond sighed and hooked a finger around the soft soft hair that he couldn’t believe existed, and could believe even less that he could touch it, and gave a half-smile as he reworked facts so Delia only sounded moderately insane. She was practically family; it was his first instinct to protect her image. Family, and if she knew he’d been bad-mouthing her she’d probably kill him.

“…A friend collects weird things from celebrities. Brushes, spoons, whatever they toss out or she just…finds. The Wayne family is the only ones left in Gotham she doesn’t have a souvenir from, and she wants…well, hair” His eyes had drifted from Terry as he said the altered truth (as Delia had appropriated items from others as well, but was most concerned with getting something from the Waynes) since he really didn’t want to see whatever expression was on the teen’s face. What surprised him (partially, but he’d expected to have to explain first) was a pragmatic “well, fine. Give me your knife, I needed a hair-cut anyway” 

With Terry reaching for the hip pocket he knew Ghoul kept his knife, and Ghoul experiencing a sudden panicked feeling of ‘do not want’, they ended up in a bit of a stalemate, with Ghoul’s hand on Terry’s face, and Terry’s hand on Ghoul’s inner thigh, which was dangerous anyway. They stayed like this until naughty fingers got a little too close to areas they shouldn’t and Ghoul let go of Terry’s face to grab at the hand, which pulled Terry forward a little. The teen used this opportunity to pull Ghoul out of his seat by his hip and pull the knife out of the pocket triumphantly. Good thing they were parked, or they’d have crashed by now. 

Ghoul, when he’d gotten his breath back and righted himself, just clenched his teeth and looked out the window. Terry was still exulting that he’d obtained the knife and hadn’t actually cut his hair yet. It took him a few moments to realize that a sulking Ghoul may not be sulking from simply losing the knife. Terry lowered the knife and grabbed Ghoul’s shoulder, hanging on even when he tried shaking him off and making the blond look at him. “I’m guessing this is one of your crazier friends, right? I noticed the wrists. Do you want to get hurt?”

Well, so much for the long sleeves. Ghoul, after much prompting, finally looked at him. “No, I don’t. I’m actually very much for self-preseveration. I just…” He pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. How was he going to tell Terry what he felt? “I want to keep you from the crazier ones for as long as possible. Especially _her_ ” Terry smirked after a slightly surprised pause. Ghoul was _jealous_. He wanted to say it, but Ghoul himself hadn’t seemed to identify what he was feeling, and he’d reacted angrily already,so it was probably better not to push his buttons to much farther. Instead, he took Ghoul’s wrist, the chafed and rubbed raw area making the blond man wince, and held the mostly unresisting hand up for Ghoul to see if he chose to look over. “And I don’t want you to get hurt. So, I guess we’re going to have to come to an agreement on what to do, or I take drastic measures” Ghoul looked over with a rather wary and scared expression at that. It almost made Terry feel bad, almost.

Ghoul sighed and decided to finish the route so he wouldn’t get fined, and figure out what to say to Terry when he had to drop him off.

At the end though, he still hadn’t come up with anything, except maybe Terry being a creep and asking for hair from his siblings. Curse the crazy Delia for putting him in situations like this! Still, he was coming up with a blank, and a great dislike of the idea of Delia with anything of Terry’s. For Terry though, the kid was practically bouncing in his seat. Almost before the car was stopped he was out of his seat and turning Ghoul around to look at him. 

“I know how to get what your friend wants. Without anyone asking questions, either. And for getting it, I want you to do something for me” Ghoul frowned, smelling a trap but seeing no real way to get around it if he didn’t want Terry doing something to upend his life further. “What do you want me to do?” Terry grinned. “Whatever I say on Friday” Yep, it had totally been a trap. Still, there was Delia and the drastic measures hanging over his head. He had no choice. He gave a reluctant nod as his hand still on the wheel gripped it to the point of white knuckles. Terry smiled gently at him and put a hand on his shoulder. “I promise, it’s not going to be anything bad. Nothing illegal and not much you haven’t done with me before” It made Ghoul relax a little, though he was still on edge with it all.

And the fact that Terry was out of the car almost immediately after, when Ghoul had gotten used to him sticking around for a bit, just furthered succeeded in bothering him. He was rather dreading Friday.

**FRIDAY**

He’d been right in assuming that Delia would remember the request, and the only thing that kept her from outright killing him was the promise that she’d get what she wanted on Friday. And admittedly he barely slept at home the whole week, instead sleeping in his car for a few hours in a parking lot every day before going home, when she was safely away from the apartment and doing her own thing. 

And though he was a stickler for being on time, he took as long as possible as his time problem allowed him in getting to the Wayne Manor. Terry had never struck him as a quitter, and Ghoul well knew his single-minded tenacity when faced with a challenge. So, the idea that Terry had _failed_ was a remote concept he didn’t even bother hoping for.

When he got there Terry was just walking to the gates, a small bag in his hands and a wide grin on his face. It was like doom personified walking towards Ghoul’s car. The blond had to fight the urge to just bolt and never set foot in Gotham again as Terry approached the car. Instead, he took a deep breath and walked quickly to the box with the paper in hand and stuffed it inside as Terry got into the car. When he got back into his car, there was a neatly folded handkerchief on his seat. He didn’t have to ask what it was, but he did want to know whose it was. Terry just laughed.

“Helena and Damian’s, actually. Damian had to get a haircut, and Helena was cutting her hair for charity. I just grabbed some of Damian’s when helping him get it off of his shoulders, he’s useless at brushing it off” which Ghoul knew extremely well, “and Helena’s was laid out and saved, so I took a little of that too” Well, that was…very clever. Though Ghoul had a feeling both the older siblings knew the ‘trick’ Terry had pulled and were probably wondering why he was stealing their hair. If he could convince Terry to take a picture of Damian’s face when he told him, the entire week would be worth it.

Ghoul made it a point to ignore and not ask about the little bag that Terry put by his feet. He managed for the entire paper route, though was going faster than usual in the vain hope that if he did, then whatever came after would go faster, too. As such, he finished about fifteen minutes faster than normal. Huh, maybe he needed to stress himself out like this more often. However, it was still the fact that it was Terry, a promise to do whatever Terry said, and a little bag that had Ghoul flipping out and he just wanted the day to be over already. 

“Ghoul” He tensed and looked over at Terry, who was smiling. “Ready?” Ghoul thought for a moment, trying to work out if this was a tease, and deciding that no, it probably wasn’t. “No. I don’t really like this sort of thing. I don’t like giving people total control” Yes, Joker had control over him, as did his family, but their demands were usually open to interpretation, and they didn’t set deadlines or strict time limits, and he was free to do the orders his way. No, the reason Ghoul didn’t like control stemmed from his dear parents and the servants controlling every aspect of his life. What and who to play with, what to eat, what to wear, how to act, think, speak…now he couldn’t take the sort of games where he had to obey someone to the letter. Simon Says was a personal hell.

But, Terry was different. Somehow, Ghoul knew the kid wouldn’t take advantage of the power. Terry wasn’t like that.

Terry winced and leaned over, touching Ghoul’s shoulder. “I’m not going to do anything bad, okay? It’s actually pretty tame. You might even get a laugh out of some of this” This made Ghoul raise his eyebrow. He knew they were limited, and Terry seemed pseudo innocent, but it was so benign it would make him laugh? Well then… “I’ll do…whatever you say” it was so very hard to actually say that. It was just a game, something that would make him laugh, he had to remind himself Terry didn’t know anything about him. Not really. He had to remember that. Besides, it was innocent.

“Coat and shirt come off, then come here” Well, he could do that, at least. He wasn’t so unhappy about it after the first time, though the cold was still cold. Terry moved him around so he was basically kneeling on the floor, back to Terry. Considering he was about a head taller than Terry, it did make sense. His long hair was put in a loose pony and draped over one shoulder. Ghoul looked up, bending his head backwards as dictated by the gently fingers pulling at the hair in the pony. The kiss was interesting in its own right, and kept Ghoul preoccupied while Terry pulled out a cupcake out of the bag. The kiss ended and Ghoul found himself looking up at a chocolate cupcake with dark brown-red frosting and blue sprinkles. He swallowed. A double chocolate cupcake with raspberry filling and frosting, with sprinkles to make it pretty. One of Alfred’s specialties and one of Ghoul’s most missed guilty pleasures from his past.

Sometimes he hated fate and circumstance. 

“You’re not allowed to use your hands for anything but keeping your balance, but try and eat it” He could hear the laughter in Terry’s voice and snorted. Food play. Still, this did make him chuckle, as it was rather benign. He followed the cupcake with his head and managed a lick of that frosting. Homemade and so good. Following the cupcake led him crouching over Terry, feeling a bit ridiculous. Still, he’d gotten a couple bites out of the sweet so it wasn’t completely a lost cause and the self-conscious feeling was tempered by the want to get the rest of that cupcake. The cupcake was waved just out of his reach, near the top of the chair, above and by Terry’s head. Ghoul stretched up to get it, keeping his stomach and chest a little ways from Terry’s face, not really feeling like smothering the Wayne and having to explain to Bruce Wayne why his second youngest son was knocked out by asphyxiation. 

Terry wrapped an arm around Ghoul’s waist and brought his body closer, giving a teasing kiss on one of the larger scars, just under his ribcage. Ghoul shuddered at the sensation and he “accidentally” knocked an elbow lightly against Terry’s head in warning. There was no need to get carried away. Still, the arm around his waist remained to help stabilize Ghoul as Terry laughed. Finally, Ghoul got the last of the cupcake out of Terry’s fingers, holding it carefully but triumphantly in his teeth as he sat back on the chair and subsequently Terry’s knees. He tilted his head back to better get it all in his mouth and chewed then swallowed, his throat clicking as he did from the dryness, as he’d lost most of his spit doing this. 

Ghoul tried to raise his hands to wipe off the frosting that was smeared over his mouth and cheeks, but Terry pulled his arms back down. “I said no hands” Ghoul stared at him. He was counting this as part of the cupcake? What did he have in mind? They stared at each other for a few minutes, Terry seeming to try and get courage for something, and then one of Ghoul’s arms were released, though Terry’s other hand remained to remind Ghoul not to move them as Terry reached up to wipe the frosting off of Ghoul’s face. “Follow the cupcake” Ghoul grinned darkly and raised an eyebrow. Really? They were going there. Okay then.

Terry stuck the thumb with the frosting on it in his mouth, eyes wide and uncertain, like he couldn’t believe he was doing this, and never imagined this would happen. The blond hesitated for a moment as he watched Terry with the thumb. He looked like a child. A small and uncertain child. It took him a moment before he remembered the ‘child’ was seventeen and a rather prideful teen at that and Ghoul leaned in towards Terry. Ghoul’s lips hovered over Terry’s until the thumb came out, and then he dipped in to snag the frosting before it dissolved, tongue darting through slightly open lips. Terry gasped and jerked backwards, Ghoul following him with his mouth, not letting the kiss be broken. The kid was the one who stuck the frosting in his mouth; he should have seen this coming.

Terry relaxed and his tongue curled and moved to keep Ghoul from the dissolving pool of frosting. Ghoul tilted his head to get a different angle, and his hands came to rest on Terry’s shoulders as Terry’s arms came up to wrap around his neck, pulling him down a bit farther to make it easier for the teen to kiss back. It became less about the frosting and more about just the experience of their tongues touching and Terry’s shirt rubbing across the slightly more sensitive scars. Eventually Ghoul broke the kiss to get some air, and while Terry was breathing heavily, the teen still leaned in to kiss Ghoul’s neck. 

Ghoul jumped in surprise at the damp lips and began moving away, but Terry wrapped a hand around the other side of his neck. “Hold still” Ghoul’s hands tightened on Terry’s shoulders as he stilled. He was beginning to realize he had an impulse to follow orders. He was blaming his childhood, and coming to the conclusion this was why he disliked being given instructions. It wasn’t that he wanted to obey; it was that he couldn’t help but do as people said. This was going to become a problem later, he just knew it. “Terry…” the teen cupped the blonde’s cheek with his free hand, thumb over the thin lips. “Hush, it’s okay. I won’t hurt you” 

Ghoul closed his eyes as Terry moved to kiss his neck again, focusing on staying very still and quiet to follow Terry’s instructions. His eyes flew open however when Terry bit the neck, not hard enough to break the skin, but certainly hard enough to leave a mark. He squeaked despite himself and Terry smiled against his neck, his hand rubbing the other side of Ghoul’s neck soothingly. 

Ghoul tried to focus on calming himself down as Terry continued to work on the hicky he was making. The calming didn’t work too well, but at least Terry was done in a few minutes, so it wasn’t too bad. Terry cupped Ghoul’s cheek again and smiled gently. “You can move now, you know” Ghoul collapsed onto Terry, rather annoyed that he was being so clingy, but needing to hold something. He regretted moving the teddy bear out of his car and into his bedroom, but he’d never expected to be in this position. Terry undid the ponytail and ran his hands through the long platinum (though it was the color of dead cornstalks in the shadows) hair, playing with it as he moved it back over the bare shoulders. 

He rubbed Ghoul’s back as the man continued to hold him tightly. This was all to address the jealousy from earlier in the week. It was honestly the only way Terry felt he could show the goth that for all intents and purposes Terry was only interested in Ghoul. It didn’t matter if some crazy girl got a little of his hair, the rest of him belonged to a gothic blond man. This was the only way he could think to prove this point. Why would he waste this much effort on someone he didn’t like?

“I don’t usually bother with hickies” He murmured in amusement, and Ghoul froze. Terry waited for it to sink in and kissed his mark on Ghoul. “I am a Wayne, you know. Everyone wants to be close and personal with my family, but you are currently the only one I’m bothering with” The one person who didn’t seem to give a crap that Terry was a rich kid was Ghoul. Well, not really. His friends seemed to care less, but Ghoul treated him pretty much normally. It was a refreshing thing from highschool, with the kids who used to hate him and now wanted to be his friend. Ghoul was also the only one who seemed to focus on the relationship, not the family hype. Terry loved that.

Ghoul moved out of Terry’s arms and awkwardly kissed the teen’s forehead. “I…I don’t like getting orders. But I did this once, for…for you, alright? Just this once, okay?” It was an evident ‘don’t push your luck, kiddo’ but Terry heard the more subtle message and just smiled at Ghoul as the blond sat back in the driver’s seat. “You can put your shirt back on, if you want” Terry almost laughed as Ghoul practically lunged for his shirt. It made him sad too, but he supposed as far as ‘trust exercises’ went this hadn’t been a good idea. Ghoul ran a hand through his hair and just watched Terry with cautious grey eyes. It made the teen wonder, though not for the first time, how Ghoul had ended up like he was.

Terry ran a hand through his own hair, missing the feeling of the thick, fur-like quality of Ghoul’s. Like an animal’s, maybe a fox’s. Soft though slightly rough, thick and long. He hadn’t really played with Ghoul’s hair before, though now he was going to have to rectify that from now on. “I’ve got a few more things for you to do before we can finish” Ghoul visibly tensed. “No, relax. It’s nothing bad. What I want you to do is give the girl the hair, and then go to bed. You look exhausted and it’s been bothering me all morning” The look of relief was enough to make Terry feel guilty about the events of the morning. Ah, well. He reached over and kissed Ghoul’s cheek before opening the door and getting out. “Have a good sleep, Ghoul” Terry was out and walking away before Ghoul reacted, the teen smiling slightly and coming up with something to make up for the discomfort he’d caused the blond.

Ghoul was left sitting in mute shock, cheeks a strawberry red as he just stared out the passenger side’s window at the receding Terry. He shook his head and got settled properly into the seat, running his tongue over his teeth for any traces of the cupcake as he started the car. First, he was getting something to drink when he got home, as Terry hadn't told him when to sleep, and that he couldn't do anything before giving the hair to Delia and then going to bed.

No matter what Terry said though, anyone getting anything of Terry’s still really bothered the gothic man to an instant bad mood. It was just because he didn’t want people taking advantage of Terry and his naïve innocence. 

Of course it was.


	8. I Want To Know More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terminal lets slip he knew Terry when he was in high-school, and this prompts Ghoul to learn more about Terry. They play a question game to find out about each other.

**TUESDAY**

The hicky had been a source of hilarity among the other Jokerz from the moment Dot had noticed it on his neck. Ghoul had taken to wearing sleeveless crop top turtlenecks, and bellbottoms. He might as well go retro while the thing was on his neck. Though he dressed far more conservatively around Terry, every other time of the week he was in far more revealing clothes. It was more or less a way to rebel against the system, even though he technically didn’t have to, since the only ones who’d care were his parents. 

The jokes Ghoul had taken good naturedly, seeing as he wasn’t exactly a heavy hitter. He could hit a fly on a leaf with a knife, sure, but actual hand to hand fighting was not his forte. So he put up with the stupid jokes with a wry smile and a shrug. The only people who knew about the circumstances for the hicky were close friends, Terminal and the Dee Dees, Woof and Saiko. Among the group of friends, there was a bit of surprise at the whole situation, as Ghoul had developed a reputation for violence when faced with food play or S&M, no matter how benign.

“The last person who tried to mark you, you ended up breaking your hand punching him in the throat” rasped Woof, a sort of plastic surgery anomaly as he had altered his appearance to look like a hyena, even tattooing the signature spots along his shoulders and back and upper arms. A recent botched surgery had ruined his vocal chords and he’d cut back on speaking unless it was important. Obviously, his best friend’s love life and changing romantic habits were a big deal. Ghoul shook his head at his friend and shrugged. “I didn’t _break my hand_ , I only sprained it. The one time I managed to hurt someone with physical contact, because he was left worse off”

Woof frowned and turned Ghoul around from where he was working on Sudoku at his table. “That’s not the point I was making and you know it” Ghoul looked at his friend and sighed, going to the sink and getting the other a glass of water, because if he was going to continue to insist on talking, he’d need it. It was also a good way to think of how to address the point Woof had brought up. “I’ve never known McGinnis to be cruel to people. Considering Ghoul isn’t stupid, he probably rationalized that Terry wasn’t going to try anything-hell, I don’t even think the guy even has an inkling of what ‘dirty’ means” Terminal looked up from bouncing a ball against the wall to where everyone else was staring at him. He shrugged. “We went to the same high school. He has a reputation for being an unintentional playboy, but at the same time is just _so_ naïve” 

Ghoul coughed and put a hand on his hip. “You know, knowing this six weeks ago would have been amazing” Terminal threw the ball at Ghoul’s head. “You asked for advice on week four, and by then I didn’t see any point in bringing it up because you were figuring it out for yourself. Besides, he’d kind of hate me. I put his best friend in a coma”

Everyone continued staring at the calmly origami-making hit-man as he sat on the counter. Woof face-palmed. “Great, the one person who could _help_ you with this is probably on your boy’s ‘most hated people’ list. Just for everyone’s general safety, Terminal, stay out of the apartment when Terry comes over” Terminal snorted in derision. “I don’t see the problem. I didn’t kill her!” Woof and Deidre gave each other a look as Ghoul rested his head on the table and moaned. Deidre put her hand on her boyfriend’s shoulder. “Still, just in case there’s a…misunderstanding, I think it would be better if you kept your distance until we can…um…make sure Terry’s not bitter of you putting his friend in the hospital” She hugged him and he melted like butter, making Delia snicker. The guy was hung up on her sister in the worst way. “Alright baby-girl. I’ll avoid him for now” 

It still didn’t answer anything for Ghoul, but at least he had a support system. Even if one of the supporters was a happy killer who had almost killed Terry’s best friend. And probably for something stupid too. Terminal was notoriously trigger-happy.

~*~

It was much warmer than before and Ghoul wore a half-sleeved black and white shirt with a wide collar, because it was warm enough he wouldn’t shiver himself to pieces if he got out of the car for a few minutes at a time. The blond had forgotten all about the hicky, funny enough. Until Terry had gotten to him, and ran his fingers over Ghoul’s neck on the general area of the hickey. Ghoul caught his fingers and looked down at the teen, eyebrow raised. “Checking to make sure it’s still there are we? No worries, it won’t go away for a little bit longer. And no, before you ask, you’re _not_ allowed to make a new one” Terry pouted and Ghoul snorted. “Well, not right now, at least. Ask me in another month or two” He could get used to that smile, he really could.

With the earlier revelation of Terminal, Ghoul was wondering about the topic of school, and Terry. Friends and actual schooling because of the fact that he had spent days with Ghoul. He wasn’t quite sure how to ask, but he figured he’d just go ahead anyway because if he didn’t then there would probably be embarrassing consequences with Terry trying to get him to talk. “So…I’m just curious about the Tuesday thing. This is part of the school year, and school week” Terry smiled slightly. “Oh, that. Family thinks I need more time for special schooling I can’t get at school, so every Tuesday and Friday I have a half day. I have core classes in the morning anyway so it doesn’t matter. The half-days are just for self-defense training, intense language courses, and hanging out with people from time to time” this made sense and Ghoul nodded. Terry had also given him free leeway into the next question.

“You don’t really talk about anyone at school, do you have any friends?” Terry frowned and looked away. “Why so curious all of a sudden?” ah, so it was a sore spot. Ghoul shrugged. “I know next to nothing about you except you’re Bruce Wayne’s son, you’re seventeen, and you have a hell of a lot of siblings” Terry scowled further and Ghoul drove and delivered in silence for a short time, thinking of a way to get Terry to willingly tell him the answers to the questions he asked. Eventually, he came up with something, though it wasn’t something he was looking forward to.

“Let’s play a game. Today I get to ask…counting the ones I already asked, eight questions. You can set parameters, but the questions should be answered. Friday…Friday you can ask me eight questions, with my parameters” Terry looked a bit more interested, but still hesitant. Ghoul sighed. “I’ll also throw in a date for next week, wherever you want to go, whatever you want to do-within legal reason!” well, now Terry looked mostly sold on the idea, and after a moment nodded his consent. “I _used_ to have a lot of friends, but one’s in the hospital, and the others have left. I think it’s my family, but I don’t really know. The only people who pay attention are the people I hated when I was a normal teenager” 

Ghoul completely sympathized. Although, he’d never had over-protective older siblings who were paranoid about gold-digging friends, he did know what it was like to have Damian chase away people he could have been friends with. “Now…parameters…no more questions about school, okay? Um…I guess one more about friends. Since you probably would want to know about my friend in the hospital…” Only for the answer as to whether or not Terry would be dumb and attack Terminal when he saw him, but he got what Terry meant, as the teen didn’t know Ghoul knew who the culprit was, he’d assume that Ghoul would assume it was one of Terry’s family members. 

Ghoul waited for a little bit, but it seemed that was all Terry wanted to specify for parameters. Okay, well, he could work with this. “Alright, who is your friend, and how did they end up in the hospital?” Terry looked at him. “That’s two questions in one!” a bony finger was wagged in his face. “Which you never said I couldn’t do. Unless you want to specify more parameters, I’m not retracting the question, and you’d technically have to answer anyway” Terry frowned and then shrugged.

“Nah, I’m good. I don’t really mind, actually. My friend in the hospital is named Maxine, but she preferred Max. She ended up in the hospital because some asshole was jealous of her going to be valedictorian. I don’t get it either, he had the next highest score!” Ghoul winced and decided, based on the bitterness in Terry’s voice, it would be better if he and Terminal _didn’t_ meet for a while. It did sound like a typical move on the young hit-man’s part, too. Losing his temper over scores? And if it had been when he was in high-school like it sounded, then he’d have still been under his mother’s thumb and even more likely to pull something like that in his drive to succeed. Ghoul made a mental note to double-check Terminal felt no actual ill-will to this Max, or they’d really have some problems. 

Ghoul ran a hand through his hair and quickly did an apartment building (three apartments in one building wanted papers) before getting back in and asking another couple of questions. Terry’s favorite colors were black and red, his favorite brother was Tim Drake, and he had been in wrestling since he was six years old. They were almost done with the route and Ghoul quickly tallied up how many questions he’d asked. Four plus the two he’d asked. Okay, that made six; he had two more to go before he was done. He didn’t care really, the question he’d wanted answered had already been addressed.

“Music types, what’s your favorite?” Terry grinned. This was something he could get into. “Punk rock, hard rock, electro pop. I have the worst crush on Imogen Heap, and an embarrassingly large amount of Aerosmith and Fall Out Boy CD’s” Ghoul chuckled and nodded thoughtfully. “Okay, you’re a punk with a rocker soul and an electric heart, I guess? It is adorable you’re crushing on Imogen though, I bet she’d be flattered” Terry ran a hand through his hair and grinned stupidly. Ghoul smirked at him; it was cute when Terry had a crush on more people than just him, especially if the person was safely across the ocean with no current plans of touring the Americas. Though this brought up something he hadn’t really thought about.

“Okay, last question, and no offense, I’m just curious. What’s your sexuality, exactly? I mean, it’s not that big a deal, just curious” He made himself shut his mouth because he was babbling and the longer he babbled the more awkward he made it. Terry himself looked a little uncomfortable, but shrugged. “I guess it’s natural to wonder. As far as I can make out, I’m bisexual. I mean, I used to have a girlfriend-but she moved to Battery City so no worries!-and now I have you”

The sweet tone of voice and happy smile directed at Ghoul caused him to blush. He’d probably never get used to the compliments Terry gave him, or the attention. It felt so good, but he might never get used to it. The paper route ended and for a long time in front of the gates, Ghoul sat with Terry wrapped loosely in his arms. They didn’t speak; Ghoul just held Terry and tried to convince himself that this wouldn’t end horribly. 

**FRIDAY**  
Ghoul was getting good at dodging Terminal’s bullets, of course, the guy probably wasn’t really aiming. Once Ghoul had relayed the message that yes, Terry was still angry at Terminal, and that the girl Max was in a coma in the hospital, Deidre had dragged the hit-man to the intensive care ward where Max was and apologize to her unconscious form. Apparently Deidre had decided to take him every week until the girl woke up. Ghoul wasn’t sure if it was an attempt to make her boyfriend sorry for what he did or if she was just bored and it seemed like a good idea. According to her though, the visitor log for Max was almost empty, so it could just as easily be sympathy for a sick person. 

Still, Terminal wasn’t pleased and while he couldn’t say no to Deidre, he could take out his anger on the person he blamed for having to go every week. It hadn’t helped matters when Ghoul pointed out that Terminal himself had started the whole thing by bringing up what had happened in the first place. This little topic had led to Terminal shooting the T.V. and Ghoul’s bed. Although he might have been aiming at Ghoul’s newest rescue (who’d followed him home on Wednesday and now he didn’t know what to do with the Great Dane Husky mix puppy) Baskervilles. Delia hadn’t been very pleased with him possibly aiming at the puppy, as she’d fallen in love with it. She couldn’t adopt it, her mother’s pet hyenas would tear the tiny thing apart, but she doted on the tiny puppy, and so in retaliation had ruined Terminal’s cooking, which pissed off her sister, who in turn burned Deidre’s lingerie. It was turning into a Grudge Match Jokerz style, and Ghoul knew eventually he or Woof would have to get these idiots to stop before it got the Joker himself and the man sent heads rolling.

Suffice to say, Ghoul was just a little tense when he picked Terry up, and had forgotten about the questions until Terry asked if asking if he was ready to start counted as one of the questions. “You know, I’d forgotten about that, a lot’s happened. No, I’m not counting that as a valid question to be counted” He drummed his fingers against the wheel, thinking of his parameters. “No asking questions about my childhood. If this goes far enough, I’ll tell you without prompting,” and assuming that didn’t cause Terry to leave, kill or use him, Terry was a good relationship. “So I think I’ll put a limit of…eight years? Sounds about right. You’re allowed to ask me about my previous relationships, because they’re dead-the relationship, not the people. Just don’t ask about the sex, that’s…embarrassing” He shot a glance at the suddenly snickering Terry, who gave him an innocent look. “I take it by now you know what I do and who I work for-yes I have the gang tattoo, it’s on my ankle. And no, you’re not allowed to look-I said no, don’t dive for my ankle I’m driving!”

Terry sat up, looking abashed and Ghoul glowered before rolling his eyes and smiling. “What I was saying about the Jokerz, is I don’t want you asking questions about what I’m doing. No offense, but it could very well lead to you getting hurt, or people I know getting hurt by your family. Understood?” Terry, solemn with that information, nodded and Ghoul smiled faintly. “Well then, ask away” the questions mirrored a few of Ghoul’s from Tuesday, and Ghoul answered (“My favorite colors are orange and black, I love rock opera music and show-tunes, like Devil’s Carnival and Evita. My best friend is a guy named Woof, he looks like a hyena”) with the growing suspicion this was leading up to something. 

“What was your first job?” Ghoul opened his mouth to object, went over the figures, and realized his first actual job had been about four years ago. Within time limit. “Waiter at a strip club. Next” Terry’s mouth dropped open and Ghoul laughed, knowing he was dying to know more, but didn’t want to waste his questions. Terry tried to compose himself and failed, growing a bit red at what his mind came up with. Ghoul was trying _so_ hard to not drive off the road from laughing, and had to pull over. Though thankfully it was near an apartment he had to do.

When he got back in the car, Terry had another few questions, and Ghoul answered. “Did you name your car?” “Yea, actually. His name is Silver” Terry tilted his head, trying to figure that one out. Ghoul had pity on him. “I got the car from a guy obsessed with cowboys and vigilantes. Changed the paint color, but kept the name” Terry’s confused look cleared and he nodded. “Why did you decide to be nice to me in the beginning” ah, here we were. Terry was done with the menial questions now. “…Not really sure, actually. I acted on instinct initially, and then just did it because I thought you were an alright kid” he carefully skirted around ‘because I started to like you’ because in this context, he just meant as a person, not as a lover. Terry didn’t look quite satisfied with the answer, but he moved on. “Since you asked me, only fair I ask you. What’s your sexuality?”

Ghoul had had a feeling this one was going to be in there and had prepared for it. “I call myself a bi-curious gay. I’ve always been more interested in men, but from time to time I do date girls just to see what it’s like, or if I might enjoy it” He shrugged. Terry looked at him. “Who was the last person you dated?” Ghoul looked down at the steering wheel as his hands tightened only slightly.

“Her name was Melanie”

~*~

When they got back to the manor Terry hugged Ghoul, who wrapped an arm around Terry’s waist for a moment. Eventually Terry broke the hug and leaned back. “Forgot to ask, but how did the hair girl like her present?” Ghoul rolled his eyes. “Oh, Deidre. Yea, she was ecstatic. Pranced around with it for an hour and then put it in her ‘special people’s shrine’. She’s totally nuts” Terry looked like he wasn’t sure if he should be amused, or disturbed. Ghoul snapped his fingers and pulled out a wad of paper and a pen from the glove compartment and scribbled something on it before shoving it at Terry. “My number. Call me and we’ll arrange the date. Or text me, that’s fine too” Terry looked shocked, and then beamed before leaning over again and giving Ghoul a big kiss before clambering out of the car.

Ghoul just smiled and drove away when the teen got through the gates.


	9. First for Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terry does have a few friends. He asks them for advice and they give it to him. Then, it's off to take Ghoul somewhere he's never actually been before, to the enjoyment of both. Maybe Rex knows more than it seems. Or, Barda, but it's pretty much the same thing.
> 
> Besides, who else can say they've seen Ghoul act like a little kid and lived to tell the tale?

**TUESDAY**

Terry was feeling quite proud of himself, getting Ghoul to warm up to him. And the questions game had been the blonde’s idea, not Terry’s. Which for all intents and purposes, Terry was taking as progress and a good sign. Though the game had admittedly brought up more questions than answers, and so he went to his friends to talk.

He’d never told Ghoul he didn’t have friends, just that he didn’t have _school_ friends. 

Maybe it wasn’t fair, lying when Ghoul had taken him to meet some of his friends, but Terry really didn’t know how Ghoul would take the friends he’d met through his father’s associates. For instance, several children of detectives and bounty hunters, reporters and club owners. And a couple royalty. Terry didn’t want to come off as pretentious to his boyfriend, so he didn’t want to talk about his friends for as long as possible. But, that didn’t mean he couldn’t go talk to his friends about the situation. If Ghoul trusted _Jokerz_ with the relationship status, Terry figured he could trust his friends with some of the information too.

Well, some of them. Barbara might be like a mother to him, but she was engaged to Dick and that meant she was a spy. Shaggy was also to be kept in the dark (although Terry had a feeling the former track star already knew, being a detective and often under employment of the Wayne family) as well as probably the West and Allen family. He had nothing against the red-headed clan, but they did everything quickly, and that included talking. Letting slip a secret wasn’t unheard of with them. Actually, it was more or less the norm. The ones that Terry decided to confide in were Rex, who had no reason to blab about _anything_ , and wouldn’t because he was, well, Rex. The other was Barda, who had dated Rex at one point. They still got along extremely well, but continued romance was never discussed and they seemed happy that way. 

Terry had managed to convince his family to let him stay out late, so he could talk to the two. They were at an all-night diner Terry was 58% sure his siblings either didn’t know about or didn’t care about. He couldn’t be completely sure about any area, but he hadn’t ever seen them in the diner so he figured it might be safe. Rex never looks like someone you want to talk openly to. He looks like he has a thicker rap sheet than any Joker on the street, but in truth Coe, youngest and with the smallest file of any Joker on the street, had a longer jail history than Rex, who’d only ever had one stay in prison, for bashing a man’s teeth in with a stool. He’d gotten out for good behavior. Barda also looked threatening and people stayed away from the booth the three had decided to occupy. Even the waitress didn’t want to be there, and kept sidling away from the opposing looking man and woman to the less scary teenager across from them.

Not one for untold patience, Rex lasted as long as ordering steak and apple pie before he demanded why Terry had called him and convinced him to meet the kid and Barda in the diner in the first place. Barda, after ordering herself casserole and cherry pie, calmly elbowed Rex in the ribs hard enough for him to grunt in pain and smiled at Terry. “Order, wait till the waitress-Jenny, yes?-leaves, and then talk. Looks like something you want general privacy in” She shot Rex a glance and he glowered at her for a moment before backing down and sitting back in his seat. “Yea, do what she said. I still want to know why I was called, but take your time” Terry nodded in thanks to Barda, who smiled and nodded back. He ordered a hamburger and chocolate ice cream, and then started on his story.

By the time he’d finished, Barda’s fork had dropped into her half-finished casserole and Rex’s ice cream for his apple pie had completely melted. They looked at each other and then at Terry, Rex snorting slightly. “Well, that explains why all this secrecy. Damnit McGinnis! You just can’t fall in love with an acceptable person can you?” Barda elbowed him again. “Dana was a very nice girl, Rex. There were just problems with her moving” She sighed and shook her head. “However, you are right. Dating Ghoul is going to be extremely difficult for you, and not because he’s seven years older. You do realize Jason was put in a coma by Jack Napier himself, right? There’s no lost love between Jokerz and your family” Rex smirked. “But there does seem to be _forbidden_ love between them” He deftly moved out of the way of the incoming elbow and shrugged at Terry. 

Terry rubbed his head. “But seriously, how do I try and make this work without getting him or me killed by Waynes and or Jokerz?” Barda looked at him. “Show your family Ghoul might be a Joker, but that he’s not a dark or evil person. That should help” Rex snorted. “Yea, good luck convincing Jason and Bruce that. Take it one day at a time and let your family come to their own conclusions about him. When the truth comes out, let what they know of him color how to treat him. A reputation is important, remember that” Barda nodded in agreement. Terry nodded thankfully and then asked what he’d really been wondering. 

“He said I could decide the date for this week, anywhere, anytime. But I’m drawing a blank for where to take him” Barda chuckled. “I find the most memorable dates are ones where I’m trying something new for the first time. Ask him about places he might not have visited, but wants to. That’s all I really have to say on that” Rex looked at her with interest. “That explains a lot with you” Barda poked his forehead affectionately. “I’m giving him advice I’d have given you if you weren’t so bull-headed, Rex Stewart” He batted her hand away in annoyance and Terry laughed at their antics. Maybe not together physically, but they were just like a married couple. It was adorable, despite the fact they were imposing figures. Love seemed to transform even the scariest people into carefree and happy versions of themselves.

They got Terry back to the manor about four hours before he was supposed to meet Ghoul and even Damian and Jason didn’t dare actually yell at the dark glare of Rex and the stony expression of Barda when they got to the door. Considering the two avoided Terry because of Rex and Barda, Terry was really grateful to them and decided he was going to pay them back for their advice and getting Jason Todd and Damian Wayne temporarily off his back. Maybe they’d appreciate him buying them dinner and a movie. Just them two. As friends, of course. If he made any other allegations they’d never accept the gift.  
~*~  
Somehow, even though he was really tired later in the morning, it didn’t matter how little Terry had slept the night before his mornings with Ghoul. He was always up and fairly alert when he needed to be, and woke up completely when he saw Ghoul each morning. Today was no different, and Terry felt a great smile break across his face when he saw the blond get out of his car. The bubbling happy feeling he’d got whenever he saw someone he really liked rose to the surface again and he welcomed it, as he usually did. 

There were so many things he liked about Ghoul. His hair, his chapped lips and scarred body, the elegant swan neck and the dove grey eyes that watched him with equal parts tenderness and mistrust. The words crowded behind his lips but he held them back with smiles and laughter. For one, it was too soon for that, and for another, well, Ghoul didn’t carry himself like a man who knew people found him attractive. Still, Terry hugged him tightly when he got to the blond, who rubbed his head before getting out of Terry’s grip to do his job. Terry did understand his need to keep a schedule with things he knew he could depend on, given his lifestyle. Terry really could understand it. He just wished Ghoul would let him help him now and then.

“ _No_ , Terry, you can’t buy me a new T.V. or bed. I’m completely serious; I don’t need the television right now. I’ll buy myself a new bed and save up for the T.V., it’s not a big deal” Terry pouted, which usually resulted in him getting his way with Ghoul. “But I want to help you, all things considered. You’ve gone out of your way for me, I want to do something for you” Ghoul looked at him and smiled faintly. “You’ve actually done more for me just being here than you could ever buy me with money” He got out of the car to deliver and when he got back in the car acted as if nothing had happened, despite the gaping mouth of Terry and the strawberry blush on the usually composed Wayne. 

Terry didn’t completely recover from the surprising sentence until the end of the route when he got his head together and touched Ghoul’s hand, who flinched in surprise and looked down at the hand resting on his. “I want to do something for you. I really do. Um…are there any places in Gotham you’ve never been, that you want to go to?” Ghoul stared at him blankly for a moment before smiling and slipping his hand out from under Terry’s, using it to tuck some of his long hair behind one ear. “Well…I’ve never actually been in a game arcade before, actually. I don’t know, I guess I just never found the time” Terry looked at him oddly. In cities the arcades were practically baby sitters for kids too old for sitters and too young to wander the streets on their own. And Ghoul had never been in one? Huh. Terry wasn’t sure whether to be jealous of him or feel sorry for him. Ah well, he knew what they were going to do Friday. Terry hugged him briefly before getting out of the car. “I’ll text you the basic ideas for Friday. You can pick me up after school, and then we can spend time together for a few hours” 

He was still waiting for the day Ghoul would pull him back into the car for a little while longer, but it was still pretty early in the relationship and besides, it was probably only wishful thinking. 

**FRIDAY**

Terry was _extremely_ excited, he was taking Ghoul to his first arcade! Maybe this shouldn’t have been as exciting as he felt it was, or this momentous, but it was a big deal to Terry. He, not anyone else but him, was going to get to see Ghoul’s face when he got in there. For good or bad, he was going to be along for the first experience of an arcade. Small situation, but a big deal. During lunch he’d texted Ghoul with the location of the school, and the arcade. He still hadn’t told him they were going to an arcade and so Ghoul had no idea what was at the second location. Well, Terry hoped not. Google Map could be a pain in the ass sometimes. 

When he got out of school, people were whispering and talking, pointing to a familiar figure in a black form-fitting t-shirt, orange belt, black pants and knee-length lace-up combat boots. With his deathly pale skin and elbow-length platinum blond hair, Ghoul stood out, very much appearing like some sort of Victorian-Age vampire or death-god trying to fit in in modern times. Terry had the sinking suspicion he’d only done that because he knew he was picking Terry up from school and wanted to cause as much of a stir as possible. Thank god Terry had thought ahead and tipped Helena and Tim off about spending time with Ghoul, and while Helena seemed completely aware of the situation (of course she was, she had been watching them, after all) Tim was just happy Terry seemed to be making new friends. 

Terry heard a derisive snort behind him and turned from Ghoul leaning against his car to one of the people he really wouldn’t mind falling off a building. “You got something to say, Nelson?” The brunette chuckled meanly and folded his arms. “Not to you, McGinnis. Just that pasty freak sitting in the parking lot of the school” Terry clenched his fists and willed himself not to punch Nelson. He wasn’t getting detention, not today. “Considering that the ‘pasty freak’ is my friend and ride, You can tell me exactly what you think of him” Terry shot back, voice low and growling and eyes just daring Nelson to push the issue. He might come from a long line of police officers, but the asshole had a long way to go.

Predictably, Nelson backed down. Terry was wrestling team captain for a reason, despite the brunette being bigger and more heavy than he was. Terry smirked at Nelson. “I didn’t think so. Later Nash” He waved at his rival and frienemy before jogging to Ghoul’s car. The blond grinned at Terry and gestured for him to get into the passenger seat. “I feel so honored, my very own knight, since I’m assuming from the pointing and gesturing you were defending or arguing about me?” Terry smiled back, some of the anger dissipating. “Who’d have thought that that of all things was what makes you happy” Ghoul shrugged as he also slipped into the car. “It doesn’t happen that often, let me enjoy it when I can. Besides, it’s rather adorable that you’ve got enough power to stop some ass twice your size with a few words and a good glare” Ghoul chuckled as Terry reddened. “You’re in a good mood” Ghoul hummed and nodded. “Good things have happened today. Let’s get out of here to whatever you’ve got planned for us. People are staring” Terry laughed. “Honestly? Let them stare. It’s not like I’m kissing you right now or anything” It was Ghoul’s turn to blush and he smiled wryly at the steering wheel. “Let’s just go”

~*~

Detective Crush Arcade and Pizzeria had used to be one of Terry’s absolute places to go when he was a kid, and up until he’d gone to live in Wayne Manor he and Matt had gone regularly. Ghoul stared at the brightly painted windows and the dark interior and glowing screens of the games inside like he wasn’t sure if it was going to come alive and swallow him whole, leaving only the car and maybe some loose hair to show he’d been there. Terry took his hand gently. “This is one of my favorite places. You’re going to love it, trust me” Ghoul swallowed, but followed Terry inside the arcade. 

The arcade inside was, true to its name, detective themed. There were even wall murals of Sherlock Holmes and the Hardy Boys. Ghoul looked around with moderate interest and curiosity as he sat down in the booth across from Terry. His nose was wrinkled and Terry had a feeling it was from the smell of burnt grease, sweat, and overheated video game consoles. Of course, if he’d never been in an arcade before, it would smell off to him. Terry chuckled. “Food tastes better than the place smells, and games are actually really good. Relax” He was sort of acting like Damian the first time Dick and Terry had convinced him to go eat at a hotdog vender with them. It was odd coming from Ghoul.

Ghoul was sitting at the edge of the cheap plastic seat as Terry ordered the pizza, cheese because Ghoul was allergic to pepperoni apparently, and a pitcher of Coca-Cola. Terry smiled at Ghoul and propped his hands on his elbows. Ghoul looked at him suspiciously. “What?” Terry just shrugged. “I’ve completely thrown you out of your comfort zone. I’ve only managed to do that once before. It’s interesting” Ghoul frowned as his cheeks tinted a little. He looked away from Terry and at the arcade area. “Don’t get used to it. There’s only a few things I’ve never done, or generally don’t expect. You and the arcade being two” Terry laughed at the unintended innuendo and Ghoul’s look of horror when he realized exactly what he’d said and how it could be taken. 

Luckily the food got there at that moment and Terry took four slices, watching in mute surprise as Ghoul took six slices. The skeletal man looked up, defensive. “What? I don’t have an eating problem! I just have an extremely fast metabolism!” Terry shrugged and began eating, finishing two as Ghoul started on his third or fourth. He acted like he hadn’t eaten in days. Terry vaguely remembered him eating a few weeks ago in his apartment, but obviously he’d been controlling himself then. Ghoul ate methodically and with a single-minded purpose: to get as much pizza into his mouth as quickly and cleanly as possible. When Terry ate his fill he watched Ghoul eat the rest of the pizza in mute shock. Fast metabolism or no, the emancipated look did not give that stomach justice. He could probably rival Shaggy and any member of Wally’s family in an eating contest if he wasn’t so concerned about cleanliness at the same time. 

Finally, they were both done and Ghoul licked the last of the tomato sauce traces and grease from his fingers and wrist, wiping in small and swift motions at his lips and licking what he found there off his fingertips. Terry just watched. He wasn’t sure if Ghoul was doing this on purpose to get him back for teasing, or if this was just how he ate pizza. 

When the pizza was completely done, Terry showed Ghoul how to convert the money into game coins (Terry figured a 100 dollar bill’s worth of coins would be more than enough, but better safe than sorry) and he could have sworn that Ghoul got more of a kick out of that than the prospect of actually playing video games.

Which was soon explained when Ghoul actually got to the games. He breezed through the ticket-earning games like nothing else, especially when it came to games like basket toss and anything that had to do with aiming. It made for easy winnings, though he wasn’t bad at the games Terry did best in; the games like Mortal Combat and shooting games. Well, he did badly at the shooting games, but everything else he was extremely good at. Terry made a mental note that if he wanted to keep a shred of his self-respect as the one in charge of the relationship; he wasn’t going to let Ghoul near the carnival games, as the blond would be the one winning all the big prizes, not Terry. 

Terry made sure to use up the majority of the coins on the traditional arcade games and not the ticket giving ones for fear of the people in charge would get suspicious of the continuous stream of high-scores and would take the tickets and kick him and Ghoul out of the arcade. However, they still made enough to get one of the top prizes and Terry watched happily as Ghoul actually lost his usual composure and acted like a little kid, agonizing over the dragon stuffed animal or the robot spider with projectile missiles. He eventually chose the stuffed animal, which was almost as big as he was, and turned to Terry elatedly, holding his prize proudly. Terry laughed and patted the snout of the dragon. “Good job, Ghoul!” The blond nodded. “Thanks, Terry!” This affected Terry more than it should have and he turned in the pretense of looking at the rest of the prizes.   
~*~

The dragon, Flame, was stuffed into the backseat as Ghoul sat with Terry in the car in front of the manor gates. He kept randomly smiling now and then, and it made Terry really happy to see him so unusually open and happy. Eventually Terry opened the door to get out, and froze when an unexpected narrow hand wrapped around his wrist. He looked back, surprised, as Ghoul just smiled. “Terry, thanks. I had a lot of fun, really” Terry grinned at him. “Maybe we can do this again” The excitement at the prospect on Ghoul’s face was enough to completely lift Terry’s mood for the next several days. “I’d really like that” He let go of Terry’s wrist and the teen slipped out of the car. 

He didn’t know Ghoul’s other lovers and he didn’t care. One of them had been his first time, and that was okay. Terry was probably the only one who’s seen the blond in such an honestly good mood, and For Terry McGinnis, this was the most important part of the whole situation. He’d made Ghoul honestly happy. Even if this fell apart, at least he could say he’d given the blond one honest moment of happiness in his life. It was almost enough for him. Almost. 

Ten months to go.


	10. Happy Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People are aware of Terry's morning routine, and Dick Greyson checks with a friend to make sure it's safe and legal. Well, mostly legal. Ghoul's rather happy and Terry's still wondering why, but it's not like he'd understand if Ghoul told him, anyway.

**TUESDAY**

The skinny man spun and swayed, moving almost nimbly around his kitchen as he got himself and his best friend dinner. You’d never suspect he was wearing a leg brace, or had been shot in the right hip and knee when he was eighteen. Shaggy Rogers hid his disability well. His laptop was on the counter a safe way from the food, volume turned up so he could listen to music. He wasn’t a fan of pop music but acapella covers were some of his most listened to things besides what Dick called ‘damn hippy music’ but then again, if it wasn’t country rock or club music (perfect to do acrobatic routines to) Dick didn’t like it. Dick himself was resting against the counter, watching the other cook with a hooded, impatient look in his eyes. But, he never could get anything out of Shaggy until Shaggy was ready to talk. All he got were lazy drawls about the sky and food. Or how scary monster movies were. It was only when Shaggy had mentally gotten his thoughts straightened did the actual detective side come out a little bit.

Finally the almost dancing stopped, the metal brace audibly clicking the weaker leg into immobility, Dick moving around the counter to catch Shaggy if he fell, but the skinny man recovered and waved him away. An old wounded warning flashed in the detective’s eyes, and Dick shrugged. “How’s the physical therapy going?” Shaggy shrugged. “Haven’t gone for the last few weeks” Dick sighed. “You need to keep going or you’re going to need a cane again” another shrug of bony shoulders and another sigh from the practicing gymnast. Shaggy had shied away from pain since the incident that had cost him his leg. While Dick couldn’t blame him, sometimes pain was a good pain. 

“Like, if you’re going to hover, like, get the plates and forks, man” Dick snorted. “Who knew a pothead could be so bossy” Shaggy stuck his tongue out at him. “Since the pothead’s off his stuff to talk to you straight, he gets to be as bossy as he wants” this made Dick laugh. It was a bit of the Shaggy from before the incident, when an angry conman who’d been brought in by Shaggy’s father Officer Rogers (Dick could never remember his first name) and had shot Shaggy in the hip and knee, squelching Shaggy’s chances of making the American Olympics Team and turning him into a slightly bitter drug-using private investigator with a cane. Once upon a time, Shaggy had been one of the best gymnasts in the school, rivaling Dick, and one of the fastest track runners besides Wally West. He’d love running best, and now he could barely jog without needing pain pills after a few minutes. It hurt to see him broken, but he continued smiling, and he seemed to really like being a detective, especially if it meant helping his friends. Dick set the plates on the counter and let Shaggy serve the food before moving it to the little table. 

Penne pasta with alfredo sauce, a side of roasted olives and fresh fruit. Shaggy had been a vegetarian since he was sixteen when the class had gone to a meat processing plant. He’d been horrified and had stopped eating meat from that moment on. Dick didn’t mind, it was this, Jason’s carnivore dinners, or Chinese take-out because Barb couldn’t cook and neither could he. He’d rather have penne pasta with alfredo sauce, thanks. “Dude, why don’t you become a cook? You’d be famous in no time with this food” Shaggy laughed. “Like, I’d eat all the food I was supposed to serve, and there’s too much time on my feet” they both chuckled and began eating. It was a conversation that had been going on before the incident and it was comfortable and easy to slip into, like an old sweater when the weather was cold.

In seemingly no time at all Shaggy moved his plate away and settled back in his seat. Dick quickly finished his food and leaned forward a little. It was time for Shaggy to reveal what he had found out about where Terry was going every Tuesday and Friday (which pretty much everyone was aware of but for the sparing of the kid’s pride nobody mentioned it to his face). Shaggy laughed at his eager expression. “Like, relax man. Like, the kid is actually just helping someone with their paper route” He tried so hard not to laugh at Dick’s crestfallen face, it was just so hard not too, though. “Wait, who’s he helping?” Shaggy raised his eyebrow. “Really? You don’t know who delivers your paper every morning? Come on man, you’re like totally slipping” Dick scowled at him. “I’ve been busy planning my wedding, dude” Shaggy shrugged. They hadn’t been planning this wedding for three years, no matter what Barbara might joke.

Shaggy’s fingers twitched as he settled back in his chair again. It was time to get high, or sleep, or something, but he needed to relay information. “It took a bit of digging, but Velma helped. You’ve met this guy before, though the last time you saw him would be about…oh, ten years ago, I think?” Dick let out a long breath. “Stop beating around the bush, Shaggy. You’re terrible at suspense. Hey, how is Velma, anyway” Shaggy just shrugged and smiled wryly. “About to have a second baby with Beau Neville. They make a cute family” Dick winced. Shaggy and Velma used to date, and Shaggy had fallen for his associate hard. When she’d broken up with him in favor of someone more stable, it’d shattered Shaggy. But, that didn’t mean he hadn’t made progress in moving on “How’s Crystal?” The wry, pensive smile changed to something far more happy. “She’s doing great! She offered to take Scooby with her and Amber to Smallville for some photography thing” Dick chuckled. The Native-American photographer was probably the best thing to happen to his friend in a very long time. 

The off-subject topics had been to buy Dick time in thinking who he could have known ten years ago that he didn’t see anymore and finally gave up and looked at Shaggy, who raised his hands. “I made a promise to someone who pays more than you do-and don’t give me that look, I’m telling you as much as I am because you’re one of my best friends. There’s more to it than money, but right now, it’s all you need to know” Dick frowned and shook his head. “If I didn’t have faith in you, I’d be trying much harder to get the information” Shaggy nodded. He understood full well that Dick wasn’t doing everything he could to get the information he wanted because he trusted Shaggy. The detective hoped the trust was well-placed. Sometimes, he wasn’t sure.

Shaggy made to get up, but the brace began pinching and wouldn’t let him move his leg. He gritted his teeth in annoyance and Dick looked on in sympathy for a few moments before going to the leg and pulling it out to face him and pulling up the jeans as far as they’d go. Good thing they were bellbottoms. He worked at the tight clamps and loosened before just undoing it and letting the thing fall to the ground. He ran a finger over the thick scar tissue that covered the reconstructed knee and Shaggy hissed. The good leg kicked at him. “That, like, still hurts man. Stop doing that” Dick leaned back on his heels and looked up at Shaggy. “Want me to take you to your room, or can you get there on your own?” He was keeping the conversation neutral because he’d still love to kill the ass who’d shot Shaggy. Shaggy, for his part, looked down at the brace, then his leg, then Dick. It rankled he’d actually need this sort of help from anyone, even a close friend, but sometimes it didn’t do any good to be obstinate. He gave an easy, if slightly pained smile and placed a hand on Dick’s shoulder. “I think if you let me lean on you, like, I should be able to get the bedroom”

Dick stood up and gripped Shaggy’s upper arms, helping him stand up. Shaggy gripped his arm tightly while the other hand supported him heavily on the table. When he was sure he wasn’t going to topple into the chair he leaned into Dick and hopped and wriggled himself to standing beside him, leaning into his shoulder. Dick looked at him worriedly, but Shaggy was resolute and nodded at him to start walking. They started the slow procession towards the room, Shaggy placing his weight on the weak legs for short moments before using a hopping/swinging motion with the strong leg to propel him forward. It was better than before, he could at least put weight on it, but it still hurt. They were halfway to the bed when Dick broke the silence. “So, this guy that Terry’s doing paper route with, is he one of the _good_ people I knew ten years ago?” Shaggy gave a short burst of strained laughter. “Yea. He’s called Ghoul now, but he’s still one of the good ones. I wouldn’t be too worried, Terry’s safe with him. Well, as safe as any of you can be, probably. You can stop worrying so much. Just focus on your wedding, man” 

~*~

He’d left Shaggy sitting on his bed, and had placed the brace near enough that Shaggy could grab it easily. He’d then left before Shaggy could make up his mind about sleeping, or getting high. Dick knew he should have helped with the dishes, but he didn’t like seeing his friend get high. Now, he was waiting by the window of the foyer, to see Terry made it down the drive safely. Dick trusted Shaggy’s judgment. If he said Ghoul was one of the good ones, Dick believed him. He just hoped nothing happened to prove both of them wrong. When the tiny shadow-teen met up with the tiny blond man, Dick turned away from the window, smiling a little. He still didn’t know who Ghoul was, but he was happy that the teen wasn’t so isolated. He’d sit back and watch, let nobody say he was a whistle-blower. But if worst came to worst, he’d definitely step in.

**FRIDAY**

Terry curiously watched Ghoul, who still seemed to be in the good mood from the week before. He was really wondering why the guy, who was humming under his breath in short snatches, was so happy when usually he was so somber. “So, how’s Flame?” Ghoul chuckled. “Doing very good as a guard dragon. I fitted his insides with a security system and placed him by the bedroom door” Terry raised his eyebrows. “You stole a security system” Ghoul snorted. “I disabled it and since the building was going to blow up anyway, I figured why not borrow it? It’s going to good use keeping the Dee Dee twins out of my bedroom” Terry opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again, shaking his head. Some things just weren’t worth saying. 

They had established a pretty good system for the route, with Terry memorizing which apartment buildings had what amount of apartments needing a paper, and remembering which ones wanted to be placed on the door-handle, or without the plastic bag and under the mat. He didn’t know street names or anything, but each building was pegged in his mind and when Ghoul stopped in front of each building or house, Terry poked one arm with the papers and Ghoul grabbed them and did his job. It made the route faster and was extremely efficient and Terry was proud of himself for accomplishing it and helping Ghoul, even if it wasn’t openly acknowledged. 

Still, while it meant more time could be dedicated to after the route, it also meant less talking time, since Ghoul was in the car less during the route. And less time to figure out how to ask what had put the goth in a good mood. Instead, he just smiled fondly at him as he worked. Eventually Ghoul took notice and gave him an odd look. Terry just shrugged, still smiling. “I’ve never seen you so happy before. 

“…Ah” Ghoul looked thoughtful, like he hadn’t realized he’d been out of the ordinary. Finally, he shrugged. “The news makes me happy lately, a lot of things are happening that I like” He chuckled. “And I’m still really interested in the game arcade. Maybe next time I’ll get that spider thing, and have some friends help me refit it to shoot bullets” Terry gave him a shrewd look, not sure if he was joking or not. “That’s really kind of morbid and frightening, Ghoul” The blond looked only slightly apologetic. “Sorry” Terry just shook his head. “I’m glad you’re happy, though”

When Terry left that morning (after giving Ghoul another hicky, despite some protests on the blonde’s part) Ghoul pulled last week’s newspaper out of the glove compartment. **“PRESIDENT OF WINTHROP COMPUTER CORPS DIAGNOSED WITH PROSTATE CANCER”** read one page, and **“DOCTOR CRANE NOMINATED FOR AWARD IN PSYCHOLOGY”** read another. Ghoul smiled again and slipped the newspaper back into the compartment before driving away. The news had been very good, indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I find it's necessary to put notes up for this one because of content. 
> 
> 1) yes, Scooby Doo is owned by DC.  
> 2) yes, Dick and Shaggy are friends in cannon comics  
> 3) Shaggy _is_ a track and gymnast star in the cannon media. It's stated several times throughout the series, and I just kept that here.  
>  4) Beau is the love interest of Velma in 'Scooby Doo and the Zombie Island' and Crystal is Shaggy's love interest in 'Scooby Doo and the Alien Invasion'   
> 5) No, I don't like Velma/Shaggy pairing  
> 6) Bruce is in his 50's, Jason Todd is still alive, first and second generations of Batman series are in the same timeline in my story and Max is in a coma. The leg brace is pretty tame in comparison. and yes, it is accurate.  
> 7) Can you tell I'm paranoid about this chapter? XD


	11. Dangerous Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The T-Gang does exactly what it shouldn't have, Ghoul gets hurt for his troubles, and Terry gets mad. Matt turns twelve and Ghoul gives him a surprise present.

**TUESDAY**

Sometimes, Ghoul couldn’t sleep. Well, alright, that happened more often than not, but on the days when even the slightest thoughts of sleepiness evaded him, he went walking through Gotham. Probably really, really stupid, but most people just had to glance at his scowling face or the not-so-concealed knives in his jacket pockets and they generally left him alone. Generally. 

“Hey man, where ya going?” Ghoul breathed out a long silent sigh through his nose and stopped for the drunk young men he knew had been stalking him for the last block. He took stock of his surroundings. An old newspaper with the faded announcement of Bruce Wayne looking for _another_ kid to adopt so Matt could have a playmate, a fire-escape that looked rather rusted and unstable, some posters from the last election, and useless garbage. Good, nobody here in the alley he’d gone down on purpose. He might as well teach the idiots a lesson. Five men around his age and a little older hemmed him in as he stood there, relaxed and ready. He did a quick glance at each face to assess what mood each one was in. Three wanted to fight, at least one wanted some fun, and the other didn’t seem what he was doing there. 

The one who wanted some fun took Ghoul’s chin in his hand, which the blond allowed, though he turned his head slightly to loosen the grip slightly for later. “Hot body, but look at the face!” slurred the one holding Ghoul’s chin, and Ghoul’s lips thinned. He’d gotten this many times, his body was fine, but the face was too thin, the chin too big, nose long and thin and hooked, and his eyes not quite what people wanted. Yea, he got it. He managed a smirk at the guy though and batted his hand away, made easier from his earlier moving of his head. “Yea, I’ve got a boyfriend and he seems to like my face, thanks.” which sent a bit of a chill down into his bones when he realized he’d probably spoken a fact. Terry hardly ever looked below the neck. “Maybe one of your buddies wants to play with you, but I just want to get the hell away from your bad breath, asshole” And the reason that Ghoul missed the punch and got the right-hook to the jaw was because he had just realized this was the first time he’d called Terry his boyfriend.

Good thing the punch cleared his head, as he was able to get his knives out and start slicing shallow cuts into faces and arms. Of course, being five to one, he was over-powered and restrained while the one who wanted some fun came closer, looking rather pissed off with several cuts on his face and hands, and drew his hand back, Ghoul tensing and preparing himself for the hard slap, though it still snapped his head to one side and back. He leaned as far as he could into himself when the guy slammed a meaty fist into his stomach. A few more times and Ghoul was gasping, but the idiot did something stupid. He stepped back for a second to let Ghoul catch his breath before grabbing the blonde’s hair and yanking his head up, slipping a thick tongue into a grimacing mouth.

Ghoul yanked at his arms and tried tossing his head, but other hands were restraining his movements and the horny drunk was hella persistent. Finally, he broke the kiss and smirked an inch away from a glaring Ghoul, who was still forced to keep his head up from the grip in his hair. “Still think I stink, darling?” He made the mistake of letting Ghoul’s hair go as the man gave him a dark, angry and feral grin. “You taste worse than you stink, honestly” the incredulous outraged look was transformed into one of extreme pain when a steel-toed combat boot was thrust into his crotch with as much force as Ghoul could muster given the close proximity. Ghoul felt hands tightening on his arms and he kicked the guy into the wall across from them before straining his arms and jumping backwards, head-butting the guy behind him and forcing the two holding his arms to run into each other before kicking them into the horny one stumbling up again. He finished by grabbing the one behind him and pulling him around in a circle before shoving him hard into the one who hadn’t looked certain about any of it, as he was starting to run. The pansy.

It actually surprised Ghoul he’d been able to get so much damage done the second fight, seeing as he was far and away not the strongest person he knew. Still…the taste of the one man’s mouth was horrid and invasive, and the punches to the stomach hadn’t been fun in the slightest. He paused even though he knew he should get running and lost in the crowds. A feral grin stretched his thin mouth and he pulled out his phone, taking a picture of the _T-gang members_ unconscious around him, as well as a quickie of his own face. 

**_’Hey Boss-man. Guess who got jumped by T-Gang? Guess the truce is over. Congrats, you get your answer to boredom’_ **

He was answered with a smiley face and the uneasy feeling he’d just done something really detrimental to himself through that small act of petty anger. Oh, shit.

~*~

Why he was even surprised Terry got royally angry over the fact he’d been jumped (though if he’d kept walking they wouldn’t have even bothered, most likely) and was ready to go hunt them down like some sort of dark vigilante of Gotham, Ghoul couldn’t even say. It was just still honestly surprising that someone he was seeing was so protective of him. Surprising, gratifying, but still somehow extremely annoying and a few other things besides annoying and upsetting that he didn’t want to look at at the moment, or why exactly it was upsetting. But like the unmasked Phantom in his second-favorite operetta, Ghoul refused to let Terry look at his face fully for most of the route and instead kept the worst bits covered with his hair or shadows. Until the end of the route at least. 

Terry didn’t touch him for a bit, but he managed to get Ghoul to look at him, brooding and unhappy grey eyes meeting Terry’s angry and concerned blue ones through a black eye, shadows, and messy blond hair. The younger man gently, carefully, pushed back the curtain of hair to look at Ghoul’s face, hand caressing the swollen cheek to keep him from turning his head. Grey eyes widened as far as they could around the swelling and few bandages Ghoul had managed to slap on before having to leave for the route. “What happened, Ghoul” not a question but a quiet demand for answers and Ghoul sighed, pulling away from the gentle touch and leaning against the window, fingers plucking at his hair contemplatively. 

“…I may have caused a gang-war, so for the next several weeks I say stay off the streets, okay?” Terry’s jaw tightened. “How can I trust you if you never tell me what’s wrong or what makes you happy” He muttered bitterly and Ghoul grabbed his jacket, swinging him around and pulling him in close, grey eyes blazing like an unholy fire. “I’m trying to protect you, McGinnis. I don’t need to tell you who my boss is. You want me to tell you what happened to Jason Todd and Tim Drake?” Terry tried to pull away and Ghoul pulled him closer. “I think I do. Jason Todd and Tim Drake were tortured sixteen years ago in a kidnap scheme. Jason was put in a coma and Tim was put in a psychiatric ward _for five years_ because of a passing comment by Noir’s girlfriend about how she wanted two older brothers for her soon to be born twins!” Ghoul threw Terry back onto the passenger seat, where he sat glaring at the blond. “The fact I didn’t give you to that family the first day we met should be all the trust you need when it comes to warnings. I’m not going to be the one responsible for you getting hurt or winding up dead” blue eyes went from dark to surprised and maybe a little mollified. Terry got up and straightened his coat, looking straight ahead and trying not to stare at Ghoul out of the corner of his eye. 

“I get it. I just wish you’d tell me something about how you feel, I just…” agitated hands ran through black hair and Ghoul closed his eyes. “…I’m scared. And I’m working on adrenaline, and I have a hard time believing that this is real. And I don’t like being stripped of control or pride. You undo me. It scares me and what I may or may not have done scares me. My day scares me. So forgive me if I go into lockdown at times” He pinched the bridge of his nose, grimacing at the pain. “Get out, Terry. Before someone comes to get you, or someone decides to bomb my car” He didn’t need to see to know Terry got out of the car. He waited a few moments before giving into the adrenaline drain and lean his head onto the steering wheel, shaking. He didn’t usually get like this. He didn’t know why, but he wasn’t okay. 

A hand touched the back of his head and he almost screamed, but a soft “shhh, now” and he knew who it was. Terry had come back, at least for a moment. Ghoul stopped shaking so much as Terry petted his head like a mother to a scared toddler, and when he was mostly fine the teen got out of the car again. This time Ghoul straightened and drove away, but not without a much calmer state of mind and a warm feeling that had nothing to do with burst blood vessels in his face. Terry was giving him a lot of firsts, and being calmed during a massive fear-attack was one of them.

**FRIDAY**

Well, the good news was that Ghoul hadn’t actually directly started a gang war, several T-Gang members had targeted Jokerz, he’d just been the only unintentional one. The bad news was that he’d torn a muscle in his shoulder that night and it hurt like hell, and the five that had attacked him had shown up dead, with a suspicious blood stain on J-Man’s jacket lapel to give some idea what had happened. Yes, J-Man was an idiot, but if you incensed him enough there was an interesting pattern of wherever he went people turned up dead. Ghoul was glad he was with J-Man, and not against him. There was a good reason why the guy was the second in command to the main Joker family, and actually dating one of the daughters. 

Now, though, he was up twice as much as before, with less coffee and less time in his apartment, and more Jokerz peering over his shoulder at his computer. Ghoul had never thought he’d resort to counting hours since coming to Joker and his gang, but here he was. Wanting to get as far away as possible for a few hours from the stink of unwashed bodies, various drugs and alcohol, and sex. And since he was spending less time with his pets, including a very hyper puppy with teething issues who hadn’t been house-broken, Ghoul figured it was time to shuttle the pup off to a new home before all the factors in his situation caused him to snap and have a real mental break-down. He liked Baskervilles, but he needed a new home. 

~*~

“There a good reason why the twit is tagging along this morning?” Huffed a more than annoyed Terry as Ghoul leaned against the car, observing the sort-of reason why he and Terry were together in the first place. Matt rubbed his eyes sleepily and Ghoul smirked. “Hey, kiddo. I heard you were turning twelve today. Happy birthday. Look in the back of the car” Matt gave him a sleepily weird look but shrugged and opened the door, to be bowled over by a hyper puppy leaping at him. Ghoul laughed and nodded at Terry. “To give Matt and Baskervilles time to bond, actually. Sorry Terry, I’d have told you, but I wasn’t sure you’d be able to keep this secret” Terry just stared at the puppy on his brother for a long moment. Ghoul smiled faintly and tugged Terry into the car, then helped Matt up and got him and Baskervilles situated in the back.

Throughout the route Terry kept looking back at Matt playing with the puppy in the backseat, then cuddling with it, then asleep with it in his arms. Ghoul just drove in relative silence, before sighing. “Your brother reminds me of someone I used to know. He was absolutely devoted to his dog, they went everywhere together and the dog was his best friend” Terry looked at him with interest. This was a piece of Ghoul’s life that he was letting slip freely. “What happened to them?” Ghoul shrugged, looking a little sad. “The dog died, and the kid turned mean. He’d had a bit of a bad life before then, but when he got the dog…anyway, he became really sad after that. I don’t think he ever got over it” Terry looked back at his brother.

“I don’t know if Matt will get like that, but I hope he doesn’t” Ghoul chuckled and lightly punched Terry on the shoulder. “I doubt it, but him playing with Baskervilles just reminded me of the kid anyway” considering that the kid had also had identical blue eyes and black hair, it was hard not to be reminded of Damian when he saw Matt. “Anyway, tell your family I’m sorry if I showed them up present-wise” He didn’t sound or feel sorry. “But I think every kid needs a good pet, a good friend” When he was a kid all he had was a goldfish. But, he told the thing everything, and while he wanted something to cuddle and play with, the fish made a better listener than his parents or staff had.

When the route was done Ghoul kissed Terry on the cheek before waking Matt up. The now twelve-year-old clumsily hugged Ghoul with a wriggling puppy in his arms. “Thanks. I guess you’re not such a booger-eating loser after all” Ghoul laughed. Yup, Damian all over again, but a Damian with a slightly better attitude. “And you’re not such a twerp, kid. Take care of the dog or I’ll hunt you down” Matt blinked in the panicked way of someone who believed Ghoul would before vaulting out of the car with his new dog, Terry close behind and laughing. Ghoul smiled after them, felt the twinge in his face from Tuesday, winced, and drove back to the warehouse to start on yet another hack into the T-Gang system. He couldn’t wait for next week.


	12. Of Questions and Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terry's still concerned about the gang war, so Ghoul gives a little hint of how much exactly he can take. and Questions will not be tolerated, even for a few hours.

**TUESDAY**

Since he was fifteen, Ghoul had gotten really good really fast at quick patch-ups for himself and friends. Splints, bandaging, treating infected wounds and if he absolutely had to he could do emergency stitching. However, if your guts were outside your stomach, people could see your brain, or see _right through you_ he insisted on the hospital. Actually, most of the group did besides Saiko, who was actually training to be a doctor and knew how to treat some of the more severe problems that inevitably arose when living in a gang, especially during a gang war. The moment that the truce was declared over he’d resigned himself to abandoning his apartment for the time being and had started paying a girl in his apartment building to take care of Freedom. He’d also come to terms with the idea of getting hurt regularly again, which he generally tried to avoid. Joker didn’t need hackers right now; he needed good marksmen, no matter what you used to hit people with. Acid pies, guns, knives, and in Dot’s case a rubber chicken with poison-tipped metal spikes poked all through it. If it could potentially kill someone, Joker allowed it, which put the T-Gang at an extreme disadvantage as they only used conventional weapons. And this put Ghoul squarely in the middle of the action, unfortunately.

Ghoul tightened the bandage on his upper arm with his teeth as he worked on Coe’s leg. Thank god it wasn’t a cut artery, just a deep gash that needed to be stitched closed. Back-alley doctory, at its finest. The thought made Ghoul snort as he kept a firm hand on Coe’s leg to keep him from moving it while Ghoul stitched him shut. Such a brave kid, a few whimpers and pained faces, but otherwise he was quiet and still. When Ghoul finished he picked the kid up and carried him to his brother, shoving Coe into Spike’s arms with an angry grunt. “Keep a better eye on your brother, idiot. He’s _your_ responsibility during these fights!” the pie-throwing punk scowled at Ghoul, but held his brother tightly, as the kid looked exhausted and half-asleep now that he wasn’t bleeding. 

J-Man came up, diffusing any actual coming to blows between Ghoul and Spike and put a hand on Spike’s shoulder. “Go get some rest, keep an eye on Coe, try not to do anything stupid on the way there, got it? Or we’re going to have a problem” The dark smile was enough for Ghoul to take a good few steps away from J-Man and Spike to gulp, smile nervously, and practically began running out of the alley, stumbling with Coe wrapped up in his arms, despite the kid protesting that he could walk just fine, thanks. After watching Coe and Spike leave, J-Mann turned to Ghoul and snorted. “You look like a fucking mess. Go home. Try to make yourself presentable before you go on the route. Ghoul looked at him blankly for a moment before cursing and running a hand through his hair and grimacing. He’d completely forgotten about the route! Ghoul turned to go, before pausing and looking back at J-Man curiously. The guy shrugged. “They’re retreating for the night anyway, and if they decide to regroup later, well…” He smirked and Ghoul snorted. “Just make sure you and Delia leave a _couple_ alive, all right? I think Terminal might actually sulk if you upstage him in body count” J-Man cackled and Ghoul continued walking in the direction of his apartment, knives held loosely but ever at the ready. 

There was no need to turn on the news, it had only been a week and there hadn’t been any major fatalities. So the gang war wouldn’t have made headlines, just a footnote in the reports, warnings on not going home along on such and such streets and blocks and such nonsense. He knew this sort of things like he knew the map of veins in his eyelids. It didn’t matter at the moment, the cops weren’t going to get involved till the inevitable civilian death or accident, and then Ghoul would have the “joy” of dealing with the Gordon duo. The father he didn’t really mind, but his daughter… Ghoul just couldn’t see what Grayson saw in her. Ah, well. At the moment, she wasn’t his problem. Ghoul opened his door to the smell of microwave popcorn and smoothies. He smiled fondly and walked to where the sound of the radio was coming from.

Ro was an odd kid, she’d always liked the radio dramas than actual television shows.

He chuckled at the sight of the girl snuggled into probably six blankets on the chair, with Freedom sleeping in her lap contentedly. Ghoul shook his head and wrapped Ro tighter into the blankets before going into the bathroom and putting antiseptic on the worst of the cuts. This sort of thing he’d been doing since before he’d run away from home. Small cuts that needed Band-Aids or anti-bacterial. He remembered the bruises that had marked his torso more fully than his scars as well. The man shook the thoughts out of his head as he finished rubbing the stuff into the last of the cuts before running a finger over the fading bruises on his face and a brush through his hair. When he was done he looked in on Ro and Freedom one more time before quietly leaving the apartment again. 

~*~ 

Terry was rather subdued for most of the ride, just looking in angry concern at the new bruises and the bandaged arm, which caused Ghoul a pang of momentary guilt, but angry concern was better than trying to insist he fight Ghoul’s battles for him. Though he figured he should at least throw the dog a bone so to speak and let Terry know a little bit why, for him, bruises weren’t a big deal. “I don’t like the dark or small spaces” was how he chose to break the silence, and Terry just gave him a confused look. Ghoul sighed and throughout the paper route, broken up by the stops which allowed him to collect scattered and suddenly afraid thoughts, he related a little of his childhood.

“I don’t like the dark or small spaces. It’s where I was always put when I misbehaved when I was small. A closet, or…well, where I lived there was this old coal cellar that nobody used anymore and I’d sometimes be locked in there. I did get hit, a lot, but I generally preferred that to…being locked in the dark. I don’t like rats either, they…they lived in the coal cellar and when I’d have to crouch in there, they would run over my feet, crawl up my legs and get caught in my hair…it was horrible. My…I don’t like calling him ‘father’ but I think I’ve figured out how to make that an insult than a compliment, heh. My “father” was a hard man, rough and always angry. I don’t think he liked the idea of an effeminate son, but he created a self-fulfilling prophecy. I ran away when I was fifteen. I cared for maman” here he had to explain that ‘maman’ was French for ‘my mother’ and that his mother was French-American, hence what she preferred to the American ‘mom’ or ‘mother’. “I cared for maman, but it’s not like she was really… _allowed_ to show a whole lot of affection, I suppose? So when I left I didn’t feel too much guilt but…I do feel badly now” 

Now there was a different kind of anger in Terry’s eyes. “Do you know if your mom’s still alive, at least?” Ghoul paused, and nodded slowly. “Ye-es…I’ve seen her around a few times, but I don’t dare get too close in case _he’s_ nearby. I don’t want to be locked away again, and I don’t want her hurt by him” Terry nodded understandingly, the righteous anger in his eyes still blazing. “I hope he gets what’s coming to him” Ghoul smiled faintly, thinking of his father’s cancer. “I think he has, one way or another. Relax Terry. These are deep wounds and I don’t tell everyone about them” Terry’s eyes widened in understanding and Ghoul kissed his forehead. “I trust you not to tell my secrets now, at least. But please bear this in mind; since I could survive my old home, I can survive one gang war, mon amour”

Mon amour, the closest he dared to saying ‘my love’ as of now. It was far, far too soon.

**FRIDAY**

Well, at least Vic “The Question” Sage wasn’t Barbara Gordon. Although the reporter had a terrible habit of getting under people’s skins, especially the Jokerz he liked to get his scoops from. Terminal preferred avoiding The Question if at all possible at any chance he could and Ghoul couldn’t blame him, he’d never been a fan of any of the reporters, but the reporter for the occult magazine was definitely one of the lesser evils. Unless you _really_ pissed him off (which Terminal did on a regular basis), he didn’t actually resort to violence, preferring mind tricks and clever usage of word play games. In comparison to the reporter for the news station with the split personality (and the only case Ghoul knew of where a two people from a gang, and arguably the two most dangerous people in the city, had to request a restraining order) Question was positively tame. And he wasn’t either Gordon so Ghoul tolerated him. He also tolerated the man’s partner in crime, a rather nice police officer but nevertheless one of his spies and not to be totally trusted.

In this case Ghoul and Scab were sitting on the fire escape of some run-down apartment that was supposed to be torn down. Emphasis on “supposed to be”. Ghoul had to actually wrap a firm hand around the shirt of Smirk before the guy leapt off the building and tried to rip the tongue of the journalist out just to make him shut up. Since they couldn’t go up from the amount of rust on the upper stairs, and couldn’t go down because Vic was there, they had to sit and listen to him, interjecting where they could. 

Scab leaned into Ghoul with the panicked look of a war veteran who’d just been told he’d have to serve another two tours in the war zone. “I can’t take much more of him talking, dude. He just keeps _going_ and I can’t take it anymore!” Ghoul nodded slowly as he kept an eye on the red-head beneath them. “At least it’s not the restrained one. Harley’s in the building. At least his fear of breaking the restraining order keeps him away from us” Scab whimpered slightly, though he agreed, as Vic raised his voice to be heard over their talking. “But what does that do for the guy below us?” Ghoul groaned slightly. “Scab, he’s the guy who writes the articles for your favorite magazine. Just…I don’t fucking know! Start talking about Big Foot or Martians or something for the love of God!” Scab rubbed his eyes with one hand. “I can’t think of any…wait…” He leaned over the edge and smirked at Vic. “Hey, Question! Where’s Creeper? Heard you’re the one keeping him on a leash!”

The man below them paused and sighed like he couldn’t believe he was humoring them and answering such a silly question. “Yes, I keep Jack preoccupied so he doesn’t go near Harley or Joker, but he was going to the wharf this evening to interview some of the pub owners” He realized Scab was leading up to something and looked up warily. “Why?” Scab started braying laughter as even Ghoul joined in. “You might want to go catch him before the Dee Dee twins throw him into the water and he gets two more restraining orders slapped on him” Vic paused, then started, as though he just realized who the Dee Dees were. He cursed and started running towards the end of the alley and probably for a busier street to grab a taxi. Ghoul and Scab sagged in relief when occult magazine reporter finally left them alone. 

Scab leaped over the side of the fire escape and landed heavily, getting up and turning in time to catch Ghoul, who’d also jumped over the side. Scab set Ghoul down and they continued chuckling, though Ghoul placed a hand on his side for a moment. Terry was _not_ going to be pleased with him over this one. It was the biggest wound from the war so far. Scab gave him a fleeting concerned look, but shrugged it off. Ghoul was no Terminal, but they could both take some serious damage. Ghoul punched Scab lightly on the shoulder. “Nice thinking back there, though the exact implications of the bi-curious Creeper being “preoccupied” by Question raises images in my head I don’t want to think about” Scab snickered. “I don’t think either of them hold a candle for the other or anything, but hey. We can tease Sage and the other one about it later” They high-fived and Ghoul made towards the subway so he could make his route on time.

~*~

Terry was waiting with something in his hands when Ghoul pulled up at the manor. You could color him extremely surprised when Terry pressed a nightlight into his hands. “I know you’ve probably got several, but I dunno. The idea of you alone in the dark has been bothering me” Ghoul kissed Terry as he took the nightlight. “I like it, really. Thank you, Terry” He smiled at the smile, though was careful to move so Terry’s encircling arms didn’t catch on the bandaged waist. Terry frowned at him but Ghoul shook his head. “I don’t want to get into an argument over this. I can handle myself, You do more good for me here talking to me and reminding me the world isn’t a gang war or a dark closet, okay?” Terry still looked angry, but he nodded and Ghoul sighed in relief. 

The drive was a friendly one, with a bit of small talk and friendly joking. Terry was surprised that they both knew Vic Sage, though Ghoul was a bit less so seeing as several of the man’s articles were centered around the Wayne family, so of course he’d have at least a passing friendship with Bruce or the large family. And all things considered, Vic had been bothering him and Scab that morning on whether or not the Wayne family exuded some special pheromone that attracted the family head of the Jokerz gang, so it did make some amount of sense. Although Ghoul was starting to wonder if they didn’t just have a pheromone that attracted Jokerz in general.

All in all, the ride was a good one, and Terry while disapproving, seemed alright with his role as the one reminding Ghoul to be human, so Ghoul could rest easy with that. And he could rest easier with a new nightlight, Baskervilles had broken his last one. At the end of the route Ghoul got himself kissed by Terry, which was nice. “You be careful, okay? I don’t want another person in the hospital” Ghoul hugged him. “I’ll be fine. Have a good weekend, Terry” at least he wasn’t dragging an heir into a gang war. Rich boy or no, Bruce Wayne would have his hide if Ghoul got Terry into that particular mess.


	13. A Little Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terry decides he really hates April Fools Day, and Ghoul reveals some hidden talents.

**TUESDAY**

Terry decided he wasn’t a fan of April Fool’s Day, and it was by 2:30 in the morning he’d come to this conclusion. Maybe it was just him, but the people in Wayne Manor were weirder and crueler in the name of pranks on each other, and if the pranks weren’t aimed at him he heard the shouts of people it was aimed at. He’d already found fake blood in the bathroom and Matt was hiding under Terry’s bed with Baskervilles (who’d been nicknamed “Ace” by most of the others and had quickly become embraced as a member of the family) and refused to come out until somebody defused the booby trap on his bed. Terry contemplated letting Matt and Baskervilles tag along with him and Ghoul again, but decided no, since the kid was wide awake this time and would undoubtedly ask about Ghoul’s many bruises and bandages. Also, Ghoul had been acting odd since the start of the gang war and it worried Terry. Matt may not know the difference, but Terry wanted them to meet properly when Ghoul was acting like his usual self. 

He decided he absolutely loathed April Fool’s when he saw what it had done to Ghoul. “Oh my god your hair. What _happened_?!” Ghoul did a double take at the reaction and touched the bright purple mess that was now where the platinum blond had been. He smiled ruefully. “Oh, somebody switched out my shampoo for dye this morning, and well, I got motor oil in my hair from another prank so I kind of had to shower. But actually, I kind of like the color. I might just keep it for a while” Terry gaped at him and then gave a forced smile. “Hey, your hair. It’s shocking but I think I can get used to it” they looked at each other for a moment before Ghoul cracked. “Hey, Terry? April Fool’s”

Sadly, the dyed hair hadn’t been a prank, just the decision to keep it purple. (“Are you kidding me? You believed me? This is horrendous!”) And Terry decided he wanted the whole holiday to burn and that he was too gullible for his own good. But, at least Ghoul seemed a little better than the last two weeks. He wasn’t as clingy, and he seemed more open to the idea of actual affection beyond the closed-mouth kisses and hugs. Whatever had happened he seemed to have either gotten over it or accepted it and it made Terry relax a little more about what he knew was going on with Ghoul. He even was willing to overlook the fact that today Ghoul was limping. Not a lot of limping, but enough to just be noticeable. Terry couldn’t help but think of Shaggy with the limp, but he was pretty sure if Ghoul had been shot in the hip or knee, there’d be more blood and screaming, and less actual walking. 

The story about his childhood had worried Terry more than actually helping alleviate the stress of sitting there, but he did believe Ghoul about being needed more as a support system than as someone to protect him, even if Terry didn’t really like the idea of it. He still went along with it, or at least he would until Ghoul got himself really hurt. Or if Ghoul’s father found him. He just had to hope the man would trust him enough to tell him if something really serious happened.

Ghoul pulled Terry out of his pensiveness with a poke to his cheek. “Hey Terry. Come on, what’s up?” Terry shrugged. “I dunno, we haven’t done anything together date-wise for a little while” Ghoul frowned for a moment before smirking. “You’ve never actually seen me play the piano, have you? I haven’t practiced in a while, but I think I could do a private showing if you want. Do you have a piano in the manor, or should I play somewhere else for you? I have a keyboard that works fine” Terry thought about it and shrugged. “We have a piano that apparently Damian used to play, but he hasn’t for like, ten years, according to Alfred. You can play that, but I’ll have to check if it’s still in tune” Ghoul looked sad for some reason for a moment before shrugging and smiling at Terry. “Great. It’s been a long while since I’ve actually practiced on a real piano” Terry paused. “This isn’t a joke, right? You really do play the piano?” Ghoul’s expression made it clear he was taking that as a personal offense. “I don’t take music lightly, so no. I wouldn’t joke about it” Terry nodded. “Maybe I can invite the rest of the family to listen then. You can meet everybody then” Terry could only hold a serious expression for a few moments when looking at Ghoul’s stricken face before “April fool’s, Ghoul” 

In retrospect he shouldn’t have been surprised when Ghoul punched him for that one. 

**FRIDAY**

Through quick text messages and phone calls Terry and Ghoul decided to have the little concert on Friday. Terry was extremely pleased when he found out from Alfred that yes, the piano was still tuned and ready in case Damian decided to play again. He also learned from Jason, who had the bedroom closest to the piano room, that sometimes snatches of Damian’s favorite songs could be heard floating down the hall when most of the people had left the house. Both Alfred and Jason had developed strange smiles when they heard that Ghoul would be using the piano for a little while on Friday. Weirdly enough, Jason even offered to keep the other family members away from the room while Ghoul played. Way out of character for him, but at least he was letting Terry have _some_ privacy with Ghoul. Terry knew that despite Jason’s best efforts at least one or two people would slip through and listen in on the session.

Ghoul showed up at the appointed time, on the dot as Terry had come to expect from him. He had a satchel with what looked like music books poking out of it, and his hair had gone from just purple to purple to his shoulders and green down to the ends. It was in a braid and draped over one shoulder. He shrugged at the questioning stare from both Terry and Alfred. “I couldn’t get the prank dye all the way out of my hair, so I just decided to have fun with it” Terry grinned. It was going to take a lot to get used to the new hair, but at least Ghoul didn’t like it either. And the acid green was an interesting contrast to the grape purple. Alfred just raised his eyes heavenward at the explanation. Ghoul chuckled and shrugged. Alfred snorted and Terry had the odd feeling an entire conversation had just happened. He continued wondering at it when Alfred led them to the piano room, and continued glancing at Ghoul through the walk. Ghoul finally looked at him with raised eyebrows and Terry looked away, blushing. Bony fingers tousled his hair fondly and Terry smiled down at the floor. 

There were three pianos in the piano room. A full-size piano, a baby grand piano, and a concert grand piano. Ghoul looked at the different ones with wide eyes and he gripped the strap of his satchel tightly for a moment. Terry smiled and let him have his moment. Ghoul licked his lips and turned to Alfred. “Which one is the tuned one?” Alfred smiled and pointed at the studio piano. Ghoul grinned like a kid told he could have his birthday cake all to himself and walked to the piano, running a hand reverently over the polished wood. Terry chuckled. “You’d think he’d be disappointed that he couldn’t play the grand pianos” there was that funny smile from Alfred again. “Master Terrence, sometimes it isn’t the grandness of appearance or sound. The full-size piano is one of the most durable pianos, and are rarely built anymore. The one here is both an antique from the first generation of your family, I would imagine for a pianist that being able to play on one would be very special” 

Terry watched Ghoul get familiar with the piano’s keys as Alfred left the room. His fingers moved quickly and skillfully up and down the scales and just that was fluid and pretty. When Ghoul finished the scales he paused and looked up at Terry. “The first one is going to be Fire, Fire by Flyleaf, if you’re alright with that. I couldn’t find any sheet-music for it, so I just figured it out by ear” Terry shrugged and gestured for him to start. The song didn’t have a long build-up before it was into the lower notes, hard and fast and heavy. It astonished Terry that someone could play something they’d just figured out by ear with next to no mistakes (that he could hear). Ghoul’s body moved a little as his fingers flowed from one note to the next, eyes closed in concentration. When he finished Terry clapped. “How long have you been playing? That was amazing!” Ghoul smiled proudly. “Since I was three, actually. It was one thing father couldn’t prevent me from doing, maman wouldn’t budge on the subject” 

Ghoul took a book out of his satchel and placed it on the piano, flipping through it before settling on one. “The Game of Thrones theme is next, this is a personal favorite to play” his eyes moved almost as rapidly as his fingers for this one, and his hand went out to change pages almost before Terry could blink. The smile while he played was fierce and concentrated, like a warrior going to battle almost. Or someone who intensely loved whatever they were doing and couldn’t think of a place they’d want to be more. There were several more songs from the book, with Ghoul pausing at the end of each one to get the next ready and tell Terry what it was. They talked a little in the small breaks too, and Terry learned Ghoul had been a competitive pianist until he left his home at fifteen, and had once performed at a charity concert when he was ten years old. When Terry asked why Ghoul didn’t try making a career out of it, he just laughed. “It’s actually pretty hard to do, really. And I can’t write or compose music. I’m just good at playing it” 

He changed the books out and played piano renditions of Paramore, some Skillet, more Flyleaf, Imagine Dragons and Adele. He finished the little performance with some classical songs, such as Ode to Joy and Moonlit Sonata. It had been almost three hours and Ghoul stretched, groaning as he flexed his wrists and fingers. “Man, I need to practice more. I was rusty on Moonlit Sonata. Ah, well” He stood up a little stiffly and shook his legs out. “Next time, I’ll be better” He remembered himself and chuckled self-consciously. “Well, if you _want_ a next time. I don’t know if three hours of watching me play on a piano really constitutes a good time” Terry was already trying to reassure him it was fine before he was done talking. “No, I enjoyed it, really. You play really well. I would love to hear you play again” Ghoul smiled and nodded. “Cool. You can request some songs next time, then” 

He took Terry’s hand as they walked out of the room and the teen tried not to stare at it. He couldn’t remember if they’d held hands before, especially during the day and when someone could walk by, and it was odd and nice. Ghoul’s hand was narrow and strong with callouses and rough skin, but still warm and actually kind of comforting. Though it was an indication that whatever had happened was still affecting Ghoul. Terry didn’t want to ruin their date, not at all, so he decided that he’d get Ghoul to talk to him about what had happened some other time. Preferably the next week. He just really, really wanted Ghoul to be okay. 

They only ran into one person while walking to the door, and Tim just stared at them for a good long moment before rubbing his temple and sighing. “Don’t let dad, Dick or Damian find out about you two. I’d say Jason but if his jokes earlier are anything to go by, I think he figured it out. Or stalked you. You can’t say it isn’t possible” Ghoul rubbed the back of his head. “Pretty much everyone I’ve ever met has come to the conclusion Bruce Wayne is omnipotent and omnipresent, so he most likely already knows” Tim looked thoughtful, like he was really considering this as an actual possibility, before shaking his head and just pointing at them. “I’m not joking” Terry sighed. “Relax, Tim. We actually already decided to take it slow, so nothing’s happened” Ghoul’s hand tightened slightly around Terry’s, before relaxing and Terry decided that yea, he was really going to have to talk to him next week. Tim shrugged. “I’m just warning you”

Once he’d left and they could walk again, they went to the door and Ghoul reached for the handle. It had never really bothered Terry how eager Ghoul was to just get away from the manor, and spent as little time as possible near even just the gate, but now he wanted to know why he didn’t like the place. Right now, all Terry wanted to know was what happened at the start of the gang war, and why Ghoul was so tense at the manor and with displays of wealth. 

When Ghoul opened the door Terry caught his other hand and looked at him seriously when he turned around. “Are you going to be okay?” Ghoul’s eyes widened slightly and he looked down and away. “It’s actually less serious than you think. I’ve just got some things to work through” Terry frowned and pulled on his arm, but Ghoul managed to pull away and get down two of the steps before pausing and turning around. “I’m not something you really need to protect. There’s just some things I need to think about, but I’ll be fine, promise” Ghoul turned and began speed-walking back down the driveway and to his car before Terry could really say something and the teen sighed and closed the door. Ghoul had never broken a promise before, but Terry wished just once he’d let him help him.


	14. Trust in Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex points out some things that bother Terry, and Ghoul manages to put them at rest for the most part. Also, Ghoul's taste in coffee is horrific

**TUESDAY**

“Look, Terry, I don’t know what to _tell_ you. From the sound of it, he’s never straight-up lied to you before. Maybe you should just trust him that he’s working through things, okay? I have a feeling if he felt he needed to, he’d go into detail” Rex wiped his hands on the grease-rag and stuffed it back into his back pocket so he could better work on the P-40 Warhawk’s engine. Terry scowled as he worked on the wings. 

“But I want him to just tell me everything! I just feel he doesn’t trust me enough” Rex stopped what he was doing and went over to Terry, cuffing him over the head. “Really? _Really_? Because you know, if I spent next to no time with someone and then out of the blue kiss them and suggest we should date, I’d get called a creep and probably have a restraining order and a misconduct charge on me before I could blink. Instead, you have a guy who not only is going along with it, but is _trusting_ you to not try anything. He _trusted_ you with some of his past, and he’s _trusting_ you to trust him to do what he needs to” Terry scowled more and punched Rex hard enough to make him stagger. The plane mechanic rolled his eyes, deciding not to fight Terry near dangerous machinery. He had a temper, but that didn’t mean he was stupid. Rex shook his head and went back to the motor of the Warhawk. “I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Ghoul’s not the one who doesn’t trust enough, Terry” 

~*~   
The words had bothered Terry from the afternoon to leaving him sleepless at night. It bothered him. He didn’t _think_ it was true, but the more that he thought about it, the less he was sure and the more it bothered him. Sure, friends and family had dropped like flies or run away like scared animals, but did that mean he’d developed trust issues? He didn’t know and it frustrated him. Terry was relieved when the alarm clock finally went off; it meant he could get out of bed without a stupid excuse. Considering that most if not all of his siblings now were aware that he was spending time with Ghoul, and Tim had figured out that it went a little beyond friendship, he didn’t have to explain why he was going out at this time in the morning.

Ghoul was leaning against the car, looking at the sky when Terry got to him that morning. “Every time I see you I’m thrown off by your hair” Ghoul had never stopped to wait for him before. Was Terry late or Ghoul early? Either way, it was another sign of progress for the teen and he commented on the hair to mask how much the simple act of waiting for him had affected him. It was also to try and drown out Rex’s words. He didn’t have trust issues…right?

Ghoul chuckled and stood up, fingering the purple and green hair as he looked over at Terry. “Yea, it keeps throwing me off, too. But it’s not so bad, and it’ll grow out in about a year or so, so there’s nothing to worry about” Terry shrugged as he opened the car door as Ghoul walked around to the other side and got in as well. During driving, Terry kept staring at Ghoul. His mind kept going back to the conversation with Rex while he looked at his boyfriend. Ghoul looked tired and more gaunt than usual, and it only got him more annoyed that the ‘trust issues’ comment by Rex had gotten under his skin so badly. “Do I have something on my face or are you just mad about something?” 

Terry scowled down at his hands and angrily continued stuffing papers, more frustrated at himself than at Ghoul, for letting the conversation bother him and for not knowing how to explain what was bothering him. Long fingers hooked under his chin suddenly and made him look over at Ghoul, who didn’t look like he was up for games that morning. “I don’t _have_ to put up with this, you know. Especially not right now. I can always either drop you off here or turn around and take you home” Terry gritted his teeth, debating whether or not to take his chances and not say anything and see if Ghoul was serious, or take him seriously and just talk to him. 

When Ghoul unlocked the doors while they were waiting for a red light was when he decided that yes, Ghoul was serious and yes, he should talk to him. “…Do you think I have trust issues?” “Uh…” Terry folded his arms as Ghoul shrugged self-consciously. “Well, you’re good about not asking questions and you seem okay with just letting me do my own thing, but…maybe? Look, I don’t know Terry. What do you want me to say?” Terry sighed and distractedly ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know…I just…I don’t know” Ghoul sighed and touched Terry’s cheek almost tenderly for a moment, sending an electric jolt through the teen’s body. “Unless you’ve been agonizing behind my back, no. I don’t really think you have issues with trust. You’re not extremely clingy and while you have been pushy at times I’m going to say that’s because of teenage hormones” Ghoul smiled slightly over at him. “You worry about me but you seem okay with letting me do what I feel I need to, so I think you’re just agonizing” Terry felt relieved, but there was another thing Rex had brought up that bothered him a little. Ghoul had related some of his past to Terry, but Terry hadn’t talked about his early life at all.

~*~

At the end of the route he pulled Ghoul into the backseat with him and got comfortable with the other man in his arms. “My childhood was kind of rocky too” Ghoul snorted in amusement. “Getting even, I take it?” Terry laughed softly. “You know next to nothing about me-and don’t tell me otherwise because I _don’t_ want to know about any possible breaches in privacy, thanks” Ghoul snorted. “No worries, I’ve been a little busy, so I haven’t had the chance to cyber-stalk you” Terry lightly whacked his shoulder and Ghoul snickered. “As I was saying, my childhood was kind of rocky, too. My parents divorced when I was seven and I went to live with my dad. I rarely saw my brother Matt. I guess I was confused or something, or maybe mad that they’d broken up and blamed my dad, but our relationship was strained after that” Terry felt a familiar lump in his throat and swallowed a few times to make it go away. “We got into an argument and I stormed out one night, about a gang I was in, among other things, and there was a robbery or something…They used to think it was Jokerz, but now think it was maybe a jealous co-worker”

Ghoul wrapped his hand around Terry’s as he waited for the teen to continue. “Anyway, after that I got out of the gang and began living with my mom. It was nice, but difficult. A year later she was diagnosed with cancer and I got a job as an errand boy for the Wayne Enterprises” Ghoul looked at him in surprise and Terry gave him a crooked smile. “Yea, they kept it out of the papers, but I worked for the company for about a year and a half before mom died and I was told by a lawyer to deliver Bruce Wayne a letter personally. Next thing I knew…” Ghoul nodded. “You were living here” Terry leaned back against the window. “Mhm. I thought Bru-um..dad, I guess? Was going to have a heart-attack right there. And Damian demanded a blood test; Dick and Tim actually just went “well, here’s another one” and seemed fairly fine with it. Jason thought it was hilarious” Ghoul chuckled. “Bet he did. What did Helena think” Terry shrugged. “Of them all me and Matt bonded with her the most because of a similar story” She had applied for a security job before Bruce Wayne had revealed her blood-line.

Ghoul shifted out of Terry’s grasp and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for telling me, that was interesting” Terry shrugged. “Least I could do” He got up as Ghoul moved to the driver’s seat and stretched. “Thanks for putting up with me” Ghoul waved a hand in a ‘whatever’ manner. “You’re not as bad as you seem to think” Terry opened the car door and paused. “Do you think you’ll ever want to talk about what happened at the beginning of the gang war?” Ghoul shrugged. “We’ll see. Later Terry” Terry shut the car door and watched as Ghoul drove away before slipping through the iron gates. He felt a lot better after that, and was able to put Rex out of his mind finally.

**FRIDAY**

That morning when he got to the car, Ghoul was waiting for him, talking heatedly into his cell phone. Terry couldn’t hear what Ghoul was saying, but the man was clearly agitated, running a thin hand through his dyed hair and pacing a little beside his car. Terry stayed back until Ghoul was done with the call, somehow feeling he’d just upset Ghoul more if he came in during the middle of the conversation. When Ghoul leaned against the car, looking completely drained and exhausted, Terry approached him. “Ghoul” he jumped and leaned back as though he was expecting someone to attack him. Terry put a hand on his shoulder in concern as Ghoul flinched before realizing that it was just Terry. Obviously the guy was dead on his feet. “When was the last time you got any sleep?” it took a few moments for Ghoul to process before he shrugged. “A while. Maybe not since last week. It’s been kind of….insane” Terry looked at Ghoul in concern. “Can you drive?” the goth snorted. “If I couldn’t I wouldn’t have been able to get up here, Terry” He relaxed a little and ran a hand through Terry’s hair. “I’ll be able to stay awake easier with someone talking to me”

Terry kept a close eye on Ghoul, though he kept his nose covered from the smell coming from the thermos in the cup holder. Ghoul picked it up and poured what looked like watery chocolate pudding into his mouth as Terry stared. He twitched, shook his head and sighed. “Coffee is a lifesaver” Terry had to bite his tongue on how unhealthy the black sludge Ghoul was calling coffee was for his brain if he was this sleep deprived. But, he seemed more awake, so the point was probably moot. “What’s in the cup?” Ghoul looked at it and shrugged. “I can’t make Turkish coffee because it needs a special cup, so for early mornings when I really need a pick me up I drink Death Wish Company’s world’s strongest coffee brand, in concentrate. It’s the strongest coffee you can legally get in America besides Turkish coffee, and I make it stronger by using barely any water” Terry stared at him in disbelief, and then at the cup. He resisted the strong urge to chuck the thing out of the window. “It smells like somebody died and they buried the decaying corpse in coffee grinds” he muttered and Ghoul smiled. “Like I said, this is really the last resort if all else fails, but drinking it has given me a reputation, I will admit”

It made Terry pause and wonder how often, exactly, Ghoul had had to resort to the concentrated sludge in his cup to give him a reputation based on how strong it was. “You’ve never been so tired you’ve had to bring it with you when you’re with me, though. Can you tell me a little of what’s going on?” Ghoul sighed and rubbed his eyes with one hand. “No. Yes…I don’t know. When it’s over and done with probably. Just…do me a favor and don’t stop talking this morning?” Terry took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, trying not to be frustrated. It did feel good to be needed like this, depended on to keep Ghoul awake, but it was frustrating not to know anything that was going on in his life. Still, when Ghoul started the ignition, Terry opened his mouth and started talking. 

He talked about everything he could think of, from movies in the theaters to good books, from video-games to books. Sometimes Ghoul would smile and respond but for the most part he just listened intently as Terry talked. However, there were a couple times when Ghoul nodded off while driving and Terry had to shout and shake him before he woke up again, apologetic and yawning and veering back to the right side of the road, or away from the sidewalk. It made Terry wonder how exactly he managed to get to the manor without crashing if all he had was the coffee and (according to Ghoul) a radio that played nothing but static-y talk-shows. If Terry had known Ghoul would be this tired he’d have brought his phone with him, to call back home and see if the guy could just collapse in a guest room. 

The only other option was trying to convince Ghoul to leave his car in a parking garage and take a taxi home, and Terry knew him well enough to know it probably wouldn’t work. So, the final option. “Ghoul, when you drive back to…wherever you need to, call me when you get there, okay?” Ghoul had just finished the last house and he blinked slowly at the request before holding his hand up in an ‘okay’ sign.

~*~

In his room Terry waited for what felt like an age in a ball of nervous energy for what seemed like an eternity before his phone rang. Ghoul’s voice was a tired but self-satisfied groan. 

_”I told you there was nothing to worry about. Anyway, I just found out Joker doesn’t need me for today or tomorrow. So stop worrying, I’ll be getting some sleep. Good night, Terry”_

He hadn’t realized how worried he was about it till he breathed out and smiled as Ghoul hung up. Blue eyes closed and he flopped backwards onto his bed. Ghoul was safe and taking care of himself. This was probably the best news he’d heard in months.


	15. Spring is in the Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spring is here, and people are getting romantically antsy. Ghoul is unfortunately not above the feelings and Terry isn't helping. Barbara knows and doesn't approve, and the war is getting more heated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THERE IS SMUT IN THIS CHAPTER. Not hardcore type smut, per ce, but there is smut. finally right? fifteen chapters in in an m/m rated mature fic XD anyway, it's not too much, I just felt it warranted a warning for anyone who's NOT reading this in hopes of reading sex. last couple of paragraphs can be skipped.

**TUESDAY**

Ghoul wouldn’t call being in a gang more fun than being in a normal family, but it was certainly…eventful. Well, maybe just in the _Jokerz_ gang, since he was pretty sure only Joker attracted the artistic types. Fights were always interesting because it was a bunch of frustrated teen and adult people using artistic license to kill someone. Or brutally maim them, that always worked too. It was more like a highly organized lethal circus than anything else and Ghoul loved it. It was insane and darkly whimsical and he enjoyed it. 

What he _didn’t_ enjoy was having to deal with Barbara Gordon, either online or in person. To him at least, she was an unpleasant person and he didn’t see why anyone would want to be with her, but again, that was just him. Maybe she just didn’t like possibly sociopathic bi-curious gay dudes with an obsession with the dead; some people were picky like that. Which made dealing with her such a joy. Unfortunately Joker knew how much Ghoul loathed Barbara Gordon and so Ghoul was the one who had to cross paths with her the most. Like when he had to bail some idiots out of jail, for instance.

On the plus side for once he wasn’t going alone, but on the downside he had to deal with Barbara. He stood outside the Gotham police station with Smirk as they got their stories straight and the details for the plan on how to get in and get the three Jokerz in the holding cells out. Of course, it would be diplomatic; since with the gang war just about ready to spill out into the streets and out of all the back-alleys, things were tense and even Joker wasn’t crazy enough to get the police directly involved with his business. “You got the bail money, corpse boy?” Ghoul snorted and patted the book-bag slung over one shoulder. “I’ve _always_ got the bail money, dude. Have more faith in me. I am the one keeping your boyfriend from finding the porn on your computer, after all” the bronze skin of Smirk reddened and Ghoul chuckled. It was useless for half of the Jokerz to try and threaten him verbally, as he was the one keeping the dirty little secrets on their computers and phones secrets. 

It was decided that Ghoul was the one to talk to Barbara and drop off the bail, and Smirk was to go and get the three Jokerz out with the cops. While Ghoul wasn’t happy with having to talk with Barbara and pay bail, he was _not_ going to be the one to stand in the way of Smirk ‘rescuing’ his boyfriend from jail. It spared him from having to see their PDA for a few minutes, at least. He was happy for them, he really was, but for the moment with his own romance problems, he’d rather not have to see it. Almost as soon as they got through the doors one of the officers walked over to them and Ghoul waved. It was Renee Montoya, and while she was Vic Sage’s little helper and a cop and thus not to be totally trusted, she’d bought him a taco once and they got along alright. “Which of you is signing the paperwork and which one is getting the territory taggers?” they didn’t even have to look at each other.

Ghoul lifted up the book-bag and Smirk walked towards the cell area with a shrug. Renee rolled her eyes and gave Ghoul a pitying look. “Careful, she’s in a bad mood” Was all the warning she gave him before following Smirk to the cells. Considering his lock-picking prowess, it was probably necessary. Oh, wait, he needed to warn her… “Montoya!” He waited till she turned around as the officers in the lobby looked up and stared at him. “If you don’t want to lock up Smirk with the other three for lewd conduct, keep him from Weasel for as long as possible, okay?” She smirked and nodded before disappearing and Ghoul let out a sigh of relief for doing one good deed for the day before going to meet the mistress of hell herself, Barbara Gordon.

First he got some snacks and two colas, of course. If she was in a bad mood like Montoya said, it would be wise to bear peace offerings to placate her so she didn’t try to shoot him. He’d heard she’d done something like that and that was why she was stuck doing paperwork for six months. 

“Playing video games does not constitute paperwork, Gordon” He said tonelessly as he walked in and she jumped while swearing before flipping the game console closed and slamming it into her desk drawer. “Dammit Ghoul!” was what came out of her mouth when she realized it was only him. He tossed her the cola and cheez-its, her catching one in each hand. “You coming to get the idiots out of the holding cell?” She asked, brushing the loose bits of hair that had fallen out of her bun behind her ears as Ghoul sat across from her. She glanced up at him after opening the soda and curled her lip. “Do you ever _not_ dress like a hooker?” He opened his own soda and gave her a look. “Only when no-one’s looking. Or when he was with Terry to try and cut any sexual tension/frustration for the teen down. But, he didn’t need to go into that with the kid’s soon to be sister in law. That…would just be awkward since they already weren’t on good terms. 

She shoved the necessary paper-work over and he took it with a sigh. When he was done with this she’d escort him to the proper window and watch him hand over the money and then he’d meet the freed Jokerz and Smirk back at the entrance, same old same old. Except today Barbara was trying to melt him with her glare as he scribbled in the needed information for her. “Did someone spit in your cereal today or what?” she frowned at him. “What do you want with Terry, Ghoul?” well, damn. He leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair, looking at her coolly. “Who told you?” She folded her arms and he copied her. “…It’s more a question of what he wants with me. At the moment we’re friends”

Barbara raised an eyebrow. “’At the moment’?” Ghoul shrugged again. “We made a deal. And guess what? I do enjoy his company. He’s a good person and a pretty good friend” Barbara slammed her hands down on the desk. “He could do with better friends than you!” Ghoul shot up, fists clenched. “Excuse me? If that’s so tell your fiancé to back the fuck off because he’s ostracized at school because of him and Damian being too protective!” their voices were raising and they were both standing at this point. It was a normal occurrence every time he entered her office, but it was a rather different subject than usual. “You are too dangerous to be around him” Ghoul stared for a moment. “I can’t even hold a gun properly!” He knew she was right though. He couldn’t keep Terry out of the dark parts of his life forever. Barbara took a deep breath and grabbed Ghoul’s shirt, dragging him over the desk till they were inches apart. “I swear to god if you get him hurt there won’t be a place on this earth or in the bowels of hell or the farthest reaches of heaven itself that I will not be able to find you in and make you pay, do you understand me?” Ghoul sneered at her as he removed her hands from his shirt and pulled himself back to his side. “Got it, Deputy. Now can we get this over with, or do you want to continue threatening me and possibly get yourself more months shuffling papers, because I hear that that is _oh_ so fun” 

~*~

Ghoul had a feeling she’d tripped him on the way to submitting the money on purpose. He couldn’t _prove_ it of course, but he just had that gut feeling you get when someone you don’t like did something bad to you. Montoya was helping trying to keep Weasel and Smirk off each other, though she was trying not to laugh and Ghoul cracked a smile at that. If neither of them were gay (he saw the picture of her and her girlfriend making out in her wallet when she bought him that taco) he’d ask her out, cop or no cop. Even if she wasn’t to be trusted, he’d still have asked her out. Mainly because she didn’t judge an African-American man dating a Norwegian man with an extreme panic disorder. It was a really good day when he could see someone not give Smirk and Weasel stares, especially from a cop.

Ghoul yanked on Weasel’s arm and got him away from his boyfriend, though it was like pulling on a strong magnet. “You can have fun later! Like, when you get to your place later! Come on before they toss you two in separate cells!” this got them to settle down somewhat and get Weasel back to his cringing, lurking and furtive self. It was cute the change being near Smirk that happened, but at least the non-love obsessed Weasel could be easily taken to the car and didn’t protest someone (the new recruit Lee) sitting between him and Smirk, though they kept looking at each other and their hands were linked behind link all the way to the area they lived in. it wasn’t too far from the Jokerz main meeting area, and was a known place for squatters. Lee had a home and a harassed mother who kept hitting on Ghoul while she berated her son, which was annoying and rather demeaning for the both Ghoul and Lee, and then it was taking Top Hat back to his apartment. Nobody knew his name, as far as Ghoul knew he hadn’t actually ever said anything beyond grunting and laughter, but he seemed fine with responding to ‘Top Hat’ so it all worked out. Even if the guy unnerved Ghoul a little.

When everyone had been taxied to their required destinations, Ghoul went back home and collapsed onto his couch. Whenever people asked he liked saying he had a partial life, because his life revolved around the Jokerz gang and when he wasn’t doing anything for them, he had no life. Well, if he was honest this wasn’t quite true, with Terry being consistently there every Tuesday and Friday. Maybe during the summer they could add more days, it was a nice thought to drift off on.

~*~

He very nearly slept through his phone alarm for the paper route and woke up in a flustered panic. He’d rather not admit that Terry was probably right and he hadn’t been getting enough sleep lately. It was a pretty busy time though, seeing as everyone was working to try and end the gang war as fast as possible so there would be as few ‘example murders’ as possible on Joker’s end. Everyone had to watch the torture and slow murder of his victims, and nobody enjoyed it. The longer the war went on, the more of those there were and Ghoul would rather not have to watch again. He’d had to watch one of his best friends die by their boss’s hands, and he’d rather not risk having to endure watching another close friend scream for mercy as Joker laughed. It echoed in Ghoul’s nightmares on some of his worst nights. Maybe he wasn’t getting enough sleep, but ending this as quickly as possible so nobody else had to go through Joker’s torture was on his top priorities. Especially since he did largely blame himself for causing the war that would inevitably lead to this in the first place.

Terry was waiting for him patiently by the gates and Ghoul felt bad he’d made him wait, even if it was just by a couple minutes. Terry seemed okay with it though, so the goth forced himself not to mind himself. He knew he had a problem with time, the obsession wasn’t healthy, he knew that, but he couldn’t help it any more than Terminal could help going nuts over a small mess when he was stressed. “At least you don’t look like a raccoon today” he was snapped out of auto-pilot and his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder, and Terry’s amused if worried voice. He laughed at the comment and finished delivering the manor before taking Terry’s hand and pulling him back to the car. “If not a raccoon, then what am I?” Terry laughed and pulled Ghoul around, pushing the purple and green hair behind his ear. “A mascara junkie. But a cute one” Ghoul blushed and rubbed Terry’s cheek with a thumb. “Flatterer. Talked to Babs, I don’t know how much she _knew_ but I’m pretty sure she’s figured everything out” 

The smile fled from Terry’s face faster than lightning lighting the sky. His fists clenched and he started turning away from Ghoul, who stopped him with his hand moving to Terry’s shoulder. “She and I have never been on good terms” Terry sighed angrily. “I know. She called me. I just…goddamn! I wish that _just once_ I didn’t have people watching every move I made! And then they constantly judge my decisions! Tim and Jason don’t trust you, Dick does whatever Barbara says…I just want to be left alone” the last part came out in a defeated sigh and Ghoul smiled ruefully. Oh, he knew all too well Terry’s feelings. “Unfortunately, you don’t get to have that luxury. Your family is rich and well-known. You’re lucky there haven’t been reporters honing in on your morning habits with me, or you’d have bigger problems” Terry ran hands through his dark hair and sighed. “I wish that my actual parents were still alive. I wish the last thing I’d said to my dad was “I love you” and not “I wish you’d just die” because maybe if I hadn’t he wouldn’t have died and this wouldn’t have happened”

Ghoul hugged Terry long and hard. He was jealous that Terry had enough love for the man who raised him that he felt regret over his last words to him. Ghoul’s father was dying and all Ghoul could think of was how happy he was that his last shout at his father were coming true. He was a messed up person and the kid in his arms was so good. “Oh, Terry…you’re such a sweetheart. But if you hadn’t come here we probably wouldn’t have met” cheesy, but possibly necessary. “Wishing that things were different isn’t going to bring your parents back mon amie, I suppose all you can do right now is try to honor their memories by being a son they can be proud of” the minutes were ticking by and Ghoul was getting antsy. He wanted to be there for Terry, who was still clutching to him like a lifeline, but he also could feel time dragging along his skin and he needed to get going or he’d be late. Finally, Terry let go of him and Ghoul resisted the urge to run to his car. 

“It’s a form of OCD” He paused and looked at Terry though his foot was tapping the ground. Terry shrugged, looking sad. “Your need to be on time, it’s a form of OCD that can be taught to children. I…looked it up since I notice you seem to panic if you might be late. There was a guy who went to jail recently with it. Though he was also delusional and believed in paradoxes and that he’d stolen stuff from the times of the pharaohs. And the need for a schedule comes from extensive abuse” Ghoul nodded slowly. It made sense. He smiled wanly at Terry. “Can we…just go now?” Terry got in the car and Ghoul drove away, a small mantra running through his head of ‘don’t speed don’t speed don’t speed don’t speed…’ through most of the route. 

They were two minutes late, and Ghoul couldn’t stop staring at the clock. Two minutes. He felt sick, and he knew it was his problem. Terry touched his hand and he wrapped the larger hand in his. “…It’s not your fault” He muttered. He knew it wouldn’t do any good but at least he could say it. “I told Barbara to get your family to lay off of you. I don’t know if she’ll do it, but if Dick listens to her, maybe it’ll help”

The gratitude made the agonizing over the time all but go away. 

**FRIDAY**

The war was getting ready to explode onto the main streets, and Ghoul was quietly prodding it into completion from his kitchen table and battered laptop. Terminal was helping when he could, as Joker was taking advantage of the fact that more prominent (though arguably less dangerous) crime lords were taking advantage of the insanity of the war and the resulting tensions to take out their rivals. Since Joker didn’t really care about the money he reaped hiring out his hit-men and was simply happy watching the world burn, Terminal was considering upgrading to a flat with the flow of cash that was coming in. However, he was also too busy to really help with getting the gang war unstable enough to warrant another peace treaty agreement. Of course, it might be from Terminal still being rather pissed he had to visit Maxine that he was not helping as much as he might have. 

With the hiring out of hit men that Joker was doing, there was rumors he was bringing in the technical Jokerz to help with demands. This worried Ghoul since it meant that Scorn was going to be dragged out of whatever drug house Joker had left him in and thrust directly into the action. There were only two people who had challenged Joker directly and survived, and Ghoul wouldn’t call either Andrew Mallory or Bruce Wayne completely sane. Also, he knew Helena had a thing for Mallory, and him being used in the war was less than ideal. If anything happened to Mallory, Ghoul knew she’d take it out on him. 

Then, there was the problem with his problem. Yes, it was a form of OCD, and part of a nervous disorder, which Ghoul agreed with, but as it was just being obsessive about being on time, he didn’t think it was that bad. Well, not as bad as Terminal’s tendencies to punish himself by hours of extensive cleaning around his apartment if he failed in _anything_ , so Ghoul didn’t really consider it a massive problem he had to get medicated for. It wasn’t like he punished himself, after all, so he was fine. 

He was right on time for his schedule in the paper route and he was rather pleased with himself. He wasn’t making anyone wait and he wasn’t being an inconvenience. All in all, it was a good morning even if he did sacrifice sleep for it. The air was fairly warm for a morning too, and Ghoul realized that it was pretty much spring. Easter was soon, there were flowers starting to appear, and buds on the trees. He’d pretty much forgotten about everything but Terry, T-Gang and Jokerz. The fact that it was spring was further driven home when Terry walked without his brown jacket. It was warm enough for short sleeves, and Ghoul smiled at the pale skin. He had a hint of peach, a sort of inner tan, but it was more or less the color of a peach caught in a frost. Pale, but lively. Unlike Ghoul who didn’t tan and just burned and therefore eternally had the complexion of paper, Terry was going to be handsome during the summer. 

Although this line of thought was making Ghoul feel a little flustered and he had to quickly look away from Terry to keep himself somewhat calm. It wouldn’t do any good to get into an embarrassing situation so soon. Soft laughter from Terry had Ghoul wishing there was an eternal winter. It was probably resulting from dealing with Weasel and Smirk earlier in the week, and then continuing to deal with Weasel and his happy sighs even as he nervously shot someone in the chest that had gotten Ghoul on edge. “Anxious about something, Ghoul?” From his tone Ghoul knew Terry knew and was just teasing him. He licked his lips and waved the teen off. “Never you mind. Seeing as we won’t be doing anything until you turn eighteen” 

Whenever that was. Although it did bring up that Ghoul needed to ask Terry when his birthday was. “I turn eighteen in December” well, that answered that question, though Ghoul found it rather ironically hilarious that Terry sounded so disappointed with himself, like he could have controlled when he was born and failed in this respect. It was pretty funny. “Mine’s in July” Ghoul told him, and Terry groaned. “Then there’s an eight year age difference for most of the year!” Ghoul hummed and shrugged, simply choosing to ignore the adorableness of Terry and focus on his job, the air getting warmer, and his need to be on time. That helped.

The atmosphere in the car was charged that morning, something which hadn’t really been present since Valentine’s day and it was interesting for Ghoul who was trying _very_ hard not to look at his boyfriend and get distracted. At the end of the route though they were in each other’s arms like magnets and Ghoul finally opened his mouth to the kisses again. It had taken some time to push the guilt about the alley incident away, but since it was a forced kiss, it wasn’t as hard as he’d thought, and was able to overpower it and kiss Terry the way the teen wanted again. It was hard to keep that mouth just on his lips though. They kept roaming down his neck (which felt good), ghosting along his collarbone (which felt amazing), and teasing his ear (which was a sweet spot and was infuriating in how much it turned him on). It was hot, it was hot, it was _**hot**_ and it was clouding his brain.

He did his best to reciprocate the kisses and licks on his body by nuzzling Terry’s neck and chin, and teasingly biting his earlobe. He came to his senses somewhat when a hand brushed his pants-line. They went cloudy again when the other hand tweaked a nipple and Ghoul arched into it keening. But his brain was struggling to wake up and he started wrestling with Terry so he could get off the teen’s lap. This was a major danger zone. Terry broke off and looked at him with confused, lust-filled eyes and while Ghoul really just wanted to melt into those eyes and arms and give into sexual frustrations, he’d rather not do it in a _car_ in front of Terry’s home, especially when apparently everyone knew what they were doing all the time. 

He finally got free from Terry’s arms and into the only slightly safe area of the driver’s seat, hard and panting. It took a couple minutes for Ghoul to articulate beyond whimpers and small moans at the friction of jeans and how hot Terry looked. “I think…sex. So an almost accident like this doesn’t happen again” He glared at the hopeful expression. “Not between you and me! Not till December! Get yourself a fuck buddy” He’d have to get one for himself too if he wanted to completely avoid any accidents.

Terry looked down at the bulge in both their pants and Ghoul reddened. “Really? They might be fucking uncomfortable in clothes but it’s not going to hurt either of us. Think of something cold, take an ice-bath, whatever. I’m not chancing it with you until you are legal” it took a _lot_ to say that and the disappointment his body felt matched the look on Terry’s face. Ghoul just gritted his teeth and pointed at the door. “Now, Terry. Obviously I really like you. This isn’t a snub, it’s really hard to say no, but I do not want to die at the hands of several dozen pissed off overprotective family members” Terry sighed, obviously frustrated. However, he seemed to understand and fumbled for the door-handle. He paused a moment when he had the door open and grinned at Ghoul. “The only reason I’m letting up is because you admitted you like me” 

Ice. Ice sculptures, ice packs, cold showers, Ghoul had to think of anything but that smirk and how much Terry’s words affected him. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep until something was done. Not _now_ at least.

~*~

Ghoul wasn’t afraid of someone seeing him aroused. He had pants on, it wasn’t their business, if people knew him they’d know the cause. So, while he was a little knock-kneed from stimuli, he was by no means attempting to hide anything as he made his way to his apartment. People were lucky for their own sakes that they didn’t run into him, not his. Ghoul was more preoccupied with cursing the sex god-like qualities of his current boyfriend to really care about his image and people seeing him, anyway.

He did have the sense to lock the apartment door when he got inside though. No Jokerz member in their right mind would pass up a chance to torment him if they saw what he was going to do. Because he didn’t really touch himself, that they knew about. Unlike everyone else in the gang, Ghoul didn’t openly talk about his sex life or lack thereof. 

With tissues in hand he made his way to his bedroom and shut the door. It didn’t hurt to be extra cautious. Ghoul sat down on his bed and leaned against the pillows, releasing himself from pants and underwear with a soft moan. All he could think about were those large, soft hands, the electric blue eyes, the laughter… his breath caught as he teased himself and stroked, Terry chasing out usual fantasies that he used to do this normally. Yes, he wanted Terry. It was probably spring-time that was making him want this badly, though. He’d always noticed that people were just hornier in general in the spring months.

“Te-ah! Fuck” He came hard when an unsolicited picture of Terry without a shirt appeared in his head. It took a couple minutes to get his breath back and get his bones to solidify from spaghetti noodles to things that could use the tissues to wipe himself off. He then got up and tossed them in his bedroom trash bin before flopping back into his bed. Spring could go fuck itself.


	16. I Just Met the Boogy-Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sickness, fear, cowardice, awkwardness and meeting Damian again after ten years

**TUESDAY**

To say that things were awkward on Tuesday would be a huge understatement. Making direct eye contact was probably going to be impossible for about a week, and Ghoul wasn’t sure what it stemmed on on Terry’s part. He knew what had caused his embarrassment, and they involved a bed, tissues and two locked doors. Besides, forced small talk and not looking at each other was not the worst thing he’d ever had to go through when dealing with a romantic partner, so it wasn’t all that bad.

They made small-talk, which wasn’t at all bad. The Waynes had hosted an egg hunt on the grounds for at risk kids and it had been pretty much a success, except for one of them trying to make off with Baskervilles and Matt headbutting them to protect his dog. Unsurprisingly to Ghoul, none of the family was angry at Matt, even though the reporters were having a hey-day with the story. He was a little speechless when Terry asked him what his Easter was like, though. He was pretty sure the kid wouldn’t agree with him that egging cars was one of the funniest and one of the best ways to spend the Easter holiday. “…I dyed eggs” He _had_ done that. Raw ones that made colorful splats on the sides of limousines. He’d also dyed proper hard-boiled ones, though Deidre and Terminal had snagged those to make special deviled eggs. 

Terry snorted like he knew that Ghoul had probably been doing things less innocent than simply spending time in his apartment dying eggs. Ghoul grinned, wide and momentary, the kid knew him pretty well already. Maybe not past or “secret identity” but he knew his personality and really, that was the important part.

Although Ghoul knew he was going to have to tell Terry the truth sooner or later. It just got harder every week he didn’t. He just wasn’t sure how the middle-class turned rich boy would feel about someone who was pretty much the opposite of that. Human attachments sucked because when they ended it was like ripping off a bandaid, but you couldn’t rub away the pain. 

“Are you okay?” Ghoul started, and then shrugged. “Yes. Just thinking” they lapsed into more silence and Ghoul silently sighed. Maybe this silence wasn’t such a good thing, after all. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel for a few moments. “…Tell Helena to watch out for Sco…um…Andy. He’s going to be on the streets” more silence then “Okay, who’s Andy?” Ghoul’s mouth quirked into a wry smile. “Using us as reference, he’s the Ghoul to her Terry” a soft intake of breath beside him. “This explains _so_ much”  
Ghoul managed a glance at Terry as he got out of the car, and immediately averted his eyes, face burning. Maybe he shouldn’t have chosen that moment to look over. Terry’s tight jeans were quite complimentary. 

**FRIDAY**

Terry texted that morning that he had woken up with a 102 degree fever and Dick was duct-taping the windows shut so Terry wouldn’t try to get out of the house. It made Ghoul wonder exactly what sort of escape attempt shit Terry had tried to pull when he’d first gotten to the manor. It did please Ghoul though, on a weird level. Terry liked him enough to (presumably) attempt escape while having a high fever just to see him. However, that didn’t mean the kid wasn’t an idiot and could have killed himself with that stunt. He told him as much in his text back, but gave him well wishes as well. 

It was surprisingly lonely in the car without Terry. Which was funny because five days out of seven he was alone in the car but….he’d kind of been looking forward to talking to Terry. 

~*~

He checked his phone messages every half an hour in an almost bored way. He did care, but he needed to do other things and Terry wasn’t his top priority. Especially when he found that someone had stolen all of his food and he had to get more from the store. Ghoul was going through the cereal aisle when his phone played Closer by the Tiny. This was Terry’s ringtone. He couldn’t get it out of his back pocket fast enough and almost spilled all of his groceries all over the floor. “Hello?”

 _”You sound anxious. You weren’t worried about me or anything, were you?”_ Ghoul rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. Yes, Terry sounded like crap, but at least he could make jokes. “And you sound like absolute hell. How are you doing?” a cracked laugh and then a lot of coughing. Ghoul’s fingers tightened a little on the phone. _”Better than this morning. Can you come over? And bring some stuff?”_ Ghoul snorted as he tucked the phone between his shoulder and ear and continued shopping. “Well, at least you’re feeling better. Pretty demanding for a sick boy, aren’t you? What do you want?” more laughter and more coughing. _“Some seven-up, word-games, crackers, and tea”_ Ghoul sighed. “Can’t they get you that at the manor” there was a staticky sigh. _“Well, there’s one thing they can’t that I want”_ “Oh, and what’s that?”

_”You. I miss you”_

It was a needy little whine, but there was also a lonely little boy under that whine and sick rasp and it decided Ghoul’s mind immediately. “I’ll be there as soon as I get you the stuff, kay?” a happy ‘mmm’ before the line disconnected and Ghoul got back to shopping, though admittedly he was a little distracted. 

~*~ 

It wasn’t Alfred who opened the door. Ghoul worked to keep the scream down as his sadistic former friend looked disdainfully down at him. “Servants use the back door” He drawled, which made Ghoul’s heart jump. Damian didn’t recognize him? Thank god. “I’m not a servant” He said quietly, rather pleased his voice wasn’t shaking. “I’m Terry’s friend” Damian sniffed. “You should still use the back” this rather irked Ghoul and he tilted his head. “I’m sorry, but as far as I remember, _your brother_ is a full member of your family, despite not taking the last name of Wayne. Because of that, anyone he knows personally and greets as a friend should use the front door. I’m _not_ a one night stand, or a gold-digger, so back off and let me in” Damian looked both taken aback and a bit ticked off and Ghoul was both proud of himself and scared shitless. Ghoul dropped his gaze and looked at the plastic bag in his hand. “He wanted me to come over and keep him company”

Damian didn’t look like he was going to open the door for a long moment, but finally did so, stepping aside for Ghoul to walk past him, which he did, very carefully. He knew full well Damian wasn’t above tripping someone or knocking things out of their hands. But Damian just stood there, looking a little perplexed and angry. “Do I know you?” Ghoul very nearly lost it. “…I don’t think so” He finally muttered, his heart galloping. The very last thing he wanted was for Damian to remember him. Remember him and comment and judge and possibly hurt him again. The taller man “humphed” and grabbed the bag out of Ghoul’s hand, eliciting a squeak from the goth. He watched as Damian rifled through the bag, unsure what exactly to do with this development.

“Alfred’s not here. He took the week off. So he’ll have to go without the soup” Ghoul bristled a little. Damian sounded happier about this than he should have. “What, can’t you cook?” the outraged look promised Ghoul that he’d be regretting that comment. And most likely regretting it sooner rather than later. “I’ll take you to the brat’s bedroom” 

Ghoul was on the alert for any suspicious behavior, such as leading him away from the wing that he knew Bruce kept all of his children in. Or being led to a closet or something, he kept an eye out for that based on his hazy recollection of this area of the house. When Damian stopped at a door, Ghoul motioned for him to open it. “Don’t you trust me?” A thousand memories of being tazed to see what it looked like, getting locked in closets and tiny rooms, tied to chairs, being the subject of “No flinching practice” where Damian shot at him and tossed knives his way flashed through his mind and he swallowed. “I don’t think _anyone_ really trusts you, Damian Wayne” Damian paused, looked thoughtful, and shrugged. “This is probably true” However, he waited till Ghoul opened the door. Ghoul almost sagged in relief when Terry looked over at the door from where he was laying in the massive bed. 

Trust wise, this changed nothing towards how he felt about Damian, it just reinforced the desire for him to never find out who Ghoul was. He seemed more honest when it was towards someone he wasn’t sure if he knew or not. Ghoul grabbed the bag back from Damian. 

Ghoul entered the room and shut the door in Damian’s face. He slumped against the door for a moment before straightening and turning to Terry, who really didn’t look that good. His face was abnormally pale and he was shaking a little, despite being under all the covers. “You look like the undead, Terry” He stated bluntly and the kid laughed. “Oh, good. I match my boyfriend for once” The Wayne family seemed determined to give him heart problems. He smiled wryly and walked over to Terry, watching the fevered blue eyes watch him. “I’m sorry, I got the soup but I don’t think I can heat it up for you. Same goes for the tea”

Terry coughed and pointed at the closet on the other side of the room. “There’s a portable stove, soup-pan and teakettle in a backpack. As well as tin mugs” Ghoul raised an eyebrow at him before going over to the closet and opening it. It was the size of his room in his apartment, figured. However, it was organized. Backpacks on the right, belts and hats on the left, shoes on the ground and clothes folded and placed neatly in cubby holes. Ghoul smiled slightly. Yes, the bedroom was messy like an average teen’s room, but it was organized where it counted. It sort of reminded Ghoul of Terry himself. He had a sharp, organized mind despite appearing like a normal kid on the outside. 

He recognized that backpack. It was the one that Terry had on when they’d met. This explained a few things, and just reinforced there was more going on in Terry’s mind than people would assume. He pulled the items out of the backpack, and a lighter. It was worrying that the backpack was still packed, but Ghoul refused to let himself dwell on it for too long.

He set the stove on the desk, fairly clean, just with some doodles directly onto the wood, and turned it on as he used one of his knives to puncture the top of the soup can and made a hole large enough to pour the contents out without much problem. Then the pan of soup was placed on top of the stove before going to Terry’s bathroom and getting the water into the kettle. Once that was on the other burner of the stove, he dragged the desk chair over to the bedside, then climbed onto the bed to help Terry move closer to the edge. He’d forgotten how big of beds the rich could afford. Terry wasn’t tiny and neither was Ghoul, but the bed engulfed them both. Terry helped a little, but he was pretty listless. Given how hot just his bare arm was, Ghoul wasn’t entirely surprised.

Finally though, he got the kid close to the edge and comfortable before sitting down in the chair. The kid was just wearing boxers, either a sign that the fever was overheating him despite his body shaking, or this was just how he slept and didn’t have the energy to get into pajamas for the benefit of anyone else. Either way, Ghoul wasn’t complaining. While Terry was tucked into the sheets, he hadn’t been when he was being maneuvered to the position he was in now. He had nice legs. Ghoul gently brushed some hair off of a sweaty forehead, wincing at the heat. Terry was always a little warmer than most people, but currently he was burning up. Terry smiled at him and Ghoul smiled back.

Ghoul watched the shivering Terry until the kettle started whistling. Then it was up to check on it and the soup, which had just started boiling, and get the food ready. Although, he was going to leave it on the desk for a few minutes so it could cool down. Giving a shaking person something extremely hot was not a good idea. “You make me feel like this is my death-bed, watching me like that” he croaked, and Ghoul looked down at his knees, smiling ruefully. “Ah, désolé cher. I just don’t know what to say” Terry moved a little to look down at the bag at Ghoul’s feet, and the older hit his forehead and grabbed the bag and tossed it to Terry. “Word games, seven up, medicines, a book for me because it was on sale and it looked interesting, and fever reduction tea” Terry seemed amused and Ghoul just shrugged.

“What’s the book?” a quick flip of the cover on the book on the bed because he forgot the title. “ _Roses for the Undead Majesty_ ” it’s about the unseelie court” Terry looked interested and Ghoul smiled fondly. “I can read it to you, if you want” a slight nod of the head and Ghoul held up a finger, remembering the soup and tea. Once Terry managed to sit up to take the tea and soup, Ghoul began reading to him. 

~*~

Ghoul read till Terry fell asleep, with two breaks to get him to the room’s bathroom to throw up, and later to move the empty mugs from the soup and tea. The whole thing took about two or three hours and they’d only gotten about halfway done with the book. Less if Terry had fallen asleep several minutes before he’d realized, this could have happened. Ghoul put away the book, stood up, and kissed the sleeping Terry on his forehead. He then walked to the door and quietly slipped out. 

He should have known Damian would be waiting for him. After years of knowing the demented Wayne, he should have known. Maybe he was just hoping time had tempered him, and that was foolish. He should have known better. The older man was leaning against the stairs by the hall Ghoul had to go down to get to the entry area. Blue-green eyes pierced him and he stopped in his tracks a few feet from the other.

“I don’t forget faces. I might forget name and misplace the information, but if I say I know you, I _know_ you” He stated flatly, and Ghoul tried not to shake. “Perhaps I stole…something…from…you?” He tried, and Damian looked enraged. “ _You’re a criminal?!_ ” Ghoul backed up several more steps. “Only when I have to be! I haven’t actually picked anyone’s pocket for around six or seven years! I’m just giving it as a suggestion”

When Ghoul had run away from home, his hair was short and still blond. When he’d run away, all he was allowed to wear were “proper” clothes, prep clothes. When he’d run away, people called him “Stewart”. Damian was thrown off because the person he’d used to know had so drastically changed while Damian himself was mostly the same. It gave Ghoul a little courage. “Does it matter if you know me or not?” Damian smirked. “It’s the difference between whether or not I’d feel bad killing you” no, Damian was _never_ going to find out who he was. Not if Ghoul wanted to live. 

Ghoul did his best to glare at the taller man. “I have done nothing to you. All I did was come to comfort my friend who is _sick_ , and all you’ve been doing is antagonize me. Stop it!” Damian blinked and raised a hand towards Ghoul, who was about ready to actually just start running for the servant’s door and hope Damian didn’t catch him. He’d figure out the issue of getting to his car when he was outside. It looked like Damian was starting to recognize him, and that was very, very bad. Whatever Damian would have said was interrupted though, by frenzied barking.

Matt was wobbling back and forth, in monster pajamas and holding a glass of water as Baskervilles barked angrily at Damian, safely behind his boy’s legs though. Ghoul walked swiftly to the little boy and ruffled his hair. “Hey kiddo. Nobody told me you were sick too!” Matt gave him a slightly out of it smile. “I gave it to Terry, sorry” Ghoul laughed and resisted the urge to hug Matt and the still yapping dog. “Do you want me to take you to your room?” It was Damian. Surprising, although Matt did look like the other males of his family, maybe Damian saw himself in the kid. That was a frightening thought, though. Matt swayed in the middle of the hallway, obviously debating having his psychotic brother take him back to bed, but glanced at Ghoul and nodded. “…Yea. Thank you, big brother” Ghoul tried very hard not to roll his eyes. Did Damian seriously make the kid call him that? How pretentious. Ghoul stood up and to the side as Matt started walking towards presumably his room and Damian walked past. He paused though and glared at Ghoul. “You. we’re not done. I know I don’t forget a face, and I don’t forget attitude. I _will_ remember” There was nothing Ghoul could say. 

When Damian was safely out of sight he walked as fast as possible till he got out of the manor, and then he ran down the drive, through the gates, and into his car. He hated going inside the manor, he hated Damian, he hated his own cowardice.

But he didn’t hate Terry. No, he was quite a far ways from hating Terry.


	17. We'll be okay, okay?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghoul gets hurt, and Terry and Damian go visit. Terry gets a little jealous.

**TEUSDAY**

Shit hit the fan. 

Terry was pulled out of bed by a rather grim looking Helena. “A warehouse where most of Gotham’s Jokerz were got blown up. We need to go _right now_ ” he didn’t need any prompting. Grabbing discarded clothes off the floor and getting them on as quickly as he could as he followed Helena out of the door, he couldn’t help but wonder if Ghoul was alright. Helena wouldn’t have grabbed him if Ghoul hadn’t been there. Of course, there was another reason she could have woken him up, a much chillier thought than just Ghoul hurt. He hadn’t realized how much Ghoul actually meant to him till the thought of the man on a surgical table, still and cold made his heart stop. However, if he wanted to continue functioning he had to ignore those thoughts until he got to the place Ghoul was and saw for himself.

They were almost to the garage when Damian and Dick appeared like harbingers of doom. “What’s the rush so early in the morning?” Terry bounced on the balls of his feet as they forced him and Helena to halt. He scowled at his brothers, feeling like he was going to scream if he had to wait any longer to get to his boyfriend. Helena actually growled and walked up close to Dick, eyes blazing. He seemed to shrink a little under her concentrated wrath. “There has been an accident and we need to go check on friends. And guess what Grayson? You do _not_ control my movements. If I want to take Terry, I fucking well can! I’m an adult and he’s my biological brother. So get out of my way or so help me-” Dick couldn’t get out of the way fast enough; ducking under the grabbing hand of Helena and shooting past her, Terry and Damian like a bat out of hell. He paused long enough for a “Just be careful. No fights, and get home before he needs to go to school” and then he was gone.

Helena gestured for Terry to follow her, and they continued into the garage, though to both of their annoyance, Damian followed. Helena gave him the same death stare she’d given Dick, but Damian merely raised his eyebrows. “Does this have anything to do with the little criminal that visited Terry last week?” Helena and Terry looked at each other. Damian had run into Ghoul? “…Possibly” Terry muttered, guarded. Damian nodded. “Well then, I want to tag along. I’d rather like to have a proper talk with him” He swept past them and after a slightly helpless look from Helena, she and Terry followed. 

Helena was the one who ended up driving though; she was the only one who’d actually learned.

~*~

The place the car stopped in front of was not a hospital, it was a medical clinic, and there was quite a bit of activity around it. Ambulances and nurses, doctors, dazed looking people, police…it was insane. Terry couldn’t get out of his seatbelt in his anxiety and need to get out and see if Ghoul was okay. A larger hand grabbed his wrist and Terry looked over at Damian, who stared coldly down at him. “Stop. Breathe. Focus. If you have a panic attack you’ll be useless and a burden” Terry frowned angrily but made an effort to follow the advice. Damian released Terry’s wrist and Terry was able to release his belt-buckle. He wrenched the door open and leaped out of the car. 

The activity was even more insane when he was in the thick of it. Terry had to leap and dodge every few seconds as he fought to get through the door. He made a mad dash towards a familiar figure and grabbed Saiko by the arm. Helena had said most, not all, of the Jokerz had been in the warehouse. Saiko jumped and almost stabbed Terry’s hand with a needle, but saw who he was in time and shakily placed the object on a nearby gurney, signing ‘sorry’ at him over and over. “It’s okay Saiko. Listen, do you know where Ghoul is? Is he here?” The blond paused and chewed her lip, clearly thinking. She finally took Terry’s hand and pulled him through the crowd to one of the more private rooms. 

Terry could have cried, there was Ghoul, _alive_ and covered in bruises. There were about five other people in the room, but all Terry saw was Ghoul, hooked to an oxygen machine, and appearing to be sleeping. Terry moved to Ghoul’s side and gently touched his arm. Ghoul’s eyes flew open and he reacted violently, almost falling off the bed. The mask and Terry’s arms kept him on the bed. Ghoul relaxed slightly seeing Terry, but he wasn’t still. He ripped the mask off of his face and tried to get off the bed again, but again Terry kept him on the bed. Ghoul shouted at him angrily before flopping back onto the bed, breathing heavily. He was in no shape to be putting up a resistance, and obviously he was hating it. 

Terry opened his mouth to ask what had happened, exactly, when a silver haired woman bustled into the room. She stopped at the sight of Ghoul and folded her arms. “You tried to get up again, didn’t you? Suffocation is not a matter to be taken lightly, Mister. You should be glad your friend was here, or you’d have passed out on the floor” Ghoul snorted and turned his head away from the woman to Terry, who was gawping at him. “S-suffocation?!” Ghoul face-palmed. “I wasn’t caught in the full explosion, but I was pinned in a small pocket of debris with no air ventilation and four other people. If they’d found us a few hours later than they had, we’d all have suffocated” He croaked to Terry, who’s feelings of horror and relief intensified. Horror for the situation and how calm Ghoul was, and relief that Ghoul was alive. The woman shook her head, clearly in the same position, with a good helping of amusement thrown in. “You shouldn’t be talking. But yes, you are one lucky young man” She adjusted her glasses and walked over to Terry, offering her hand. “I’m Dr. Leslie Thompkins. You can call me Leslie, most of my patients and regular visitors do” again Ghoul snorted and Leslie shot him a glance. “Although _he’s_ only ever called me Dr. Thompkins”

Something rang in Terry’s head with that name, but he couldn’t focus on it. He just looked down at Ghoul and swallowed. “Thanks, Doc, really. But can I, uh, be alone with him…if he can be without your supervision for a few minutes” Leslie chuckled. “Yea, he can. I’m going to send my little helper Saiko in in a few minutes though, to check his blood and make sure he’s not got something else hurt we may have missed when first looking at him” Terry nodded and took Ghoul’s bruised and dirty hand in his. The Jokerz member was a right mess, covered in bruises and cuts, dirt and bits of wood and leaves caught to ripped clothes and trapped in his hair. Ghoul sighed and squeezed Terry’s hand. But gently, gently. 

“Thank you, for showing up” it was so soft Terry almost missed it. “I wouldn’t have not shown up. Even if I’d have had to skip school, I would have shown up for you, Ghoul” it was the honest truth. Once, when Dana was sick with a high fever and had been confined to her room, Terry had skipped school, bought chicken noodle soup from a café with his lunch money, and took buses to Dana’s house. Then, he’d scaled the side of the building and managed to get into her room to give her the soup and keep her company. He’d gotten in a lot of trouble and caught Dana’s cold, but he’d made sure she’d known he cared. He needed Ghoul to know he cared, especially when he was in trouble like this. Ghoul, on his part, looked incredibly embarrassed and maybe a little touched. He rubbed his thumb over the back of Terry’s hand.

Terry leaned down on impulse to press his lips to Ghoul’s, who gently placed his hand on the back of Terry’s head, deepening the kiss. Terry cut it short because the ‘suffocation’ issue was still bothering him, but he pressed his lips to Ghoul’s forehead to keep the intimacy for a few moments longer. “You know, I _knew_ there was something going on. I just didn’t think it was this, exactly” at this point Terry was starting to believe the rumors that his older brother really was the devil, because he had a bad habit of appearing exactly when he wasn’t wanted. It was funny though, the betrayed look wasn’t directed at him. Ghoul’s hand in his tightened and then withdrew. “Terry, go” He rasped and Terry stared at him. “But-” “Just go!” he coughed and turned away from Terry. “…I’ll explain later. But I need to talk to your brother” Terry looked between them, feeling confused and possibly a little hurt. Damian didn’t know Ghoul, didn’t care that he’d almost died, why was Ghoul choosing him over Terry? “…Okay. But I want to know later” Ghoul nodded, looking extremely tired. Damian appeared like he was silently gloating and Terry wanted to punch him. Maybe later though, the sign on the door said no violence in the clinic. And Damian was the better fighter.

It was a good thing that Terry left at that time though, Helena had just been busted trying to sneak a mohawked blond man out of the clinic. It had to have been the person she’d rushed to see, he couldn’t think of anyone that would make Helena think irrationally, but love was funny like that. Sleepless nights were just another part of its humor. Same as that gnawing jealousy that bubbled in his stomach. What did Damian have that he didn’t?

**FRIDAY**

He got a text message saying Ghoul wasn’t going to do paper route that day, but would Terry want to go get coffee? Terry almost deleted and ignored it. Almost. The burning curiosity and hurt was still there though. He couldn’t ignore it, and he was a more straight-forward guy. If Ghoul was willing to explain, he was more than willing to listen.

~*~

The coffee place was small, in a nice area of downtown, and not likely to be noticed too much. Funny how Ghoul seemed to like the places people wouldn’t notice. Terry saw him through the window, sitting and reading a magazine as he drank a small coffee. Black and purple, full length sleeves despite how warm it was. Terry resisted the urge to turn around and walk away and sulk, instead he took a deep breath and walked through the door and to Ghoul, who set the magazine down and rested an arm on top of the open pages. “With the look on your face Tuesday, I wasn’t sure you’d show up” Terry sat down, guarded. “Yea, about that. You want to talk about what happened?” Ghoul smiled crookedly. “After the hair incident, you’d think you’d know how to handle jealousy” Terry flushed a dark red and made to get up. “That was different. It wasn’t me choosing a complete stranger over my boyfriend!” Ghoul raised a finger, paused, and sighed. 

“Damian isn’t a stranger to me” Terry thunked back down into his chair. “What” Ghoul sighed and looked down, running a hand through his hair. He flipped the magazine around to face Terry and slid it over. There was an article on a missing kid, and a blond woman with grey eyes pictured beside it. If it wasn’t for the different chins, Ghoul would be the mirror image of his mother. Terry’s eyes widened slightly and he picked up the magazine to read properly. “You’re the guy they’ve been mentioning in the news” His voice was dull, and partly shocked. It actually made a sad amount of sense. He was shocked and hurt he hadn’t been told sooner, but the longer he stared at the article, the more he realized he really wasn’t that angry. 

Terry put the magazine down and slowly turned his gaze from the woman in the picture (and studying the caked on make-up where she was obviously hiding the bruises on her neck and face) to her son, who looked worried and resigned. “You were Damian’s toy” it was a statement of a fact, not a question, and after a long moment, Ghoul gave a slow nod. “In a way. Not a sexual way, ever. When we were younger he was almost homophobic. But I guess a ‘toy’ would be a good comparison” Terry nodded, feeling a sense of huge relief that it hadn’t been a sexual situation. “And Damian is upset that you decided to be my toy?” again the slow nod. “He’s never been very good at sharing. He also made it very clear that if I hurt you; nobody would ever find my body” The statement made Terry erupt into giggles. It just sounded so ridiculous that Ghoul would ever really hurt him that he couldn’t help it.

When he looked at Ghoul the goth looked almost relieved. Terry composed himself and coughed. There was something he needed to know. “Did you be nice to me because I looked like Damian? Be honest” Ghoul looked stricken for a moment and he frowned. “Do you think you’re anything like him? In all honesty I let you into my car because you reminded me of me. I wanted to do what I could to keep you from going down my path. You’re too good for this life, Terry McGinnis” that probably shouldn’t have sounded as sweet and romantic as it did to Terry in that moment, but it did. 

He touched Ghoul’s hand wrapped around the cardboard cup and smiled faintly at him. “Okay. And we’ll be careful around Damian. He listens to Dick though, so maybe I can get Dick to get Damian to back off” Ghoul chuckled. “Oh, you’d do better going through Alfred, since Damian is too full of pride to learn how to cook. If you got Alfred or someone to make all of his least favorite foods, he’ll bend and comply” Terry laughed. Maybe having someone who knew Damian so well was a good thing.

It didn’t really take away the jealousy of what Ghoul had with Damian, regardless of whether or not it was romantic, but this was a start. At least the big secret was out in the open now, and now Terry knew how to proceed in the relationship.


	18. Recovering, Sort of, Maybe?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghoul is not okay and it frustrates Terry. All he wants to do is wrap Ghoul up in his arms and blankets and hide away from the world together. Damian doesn't help matters. Also, it's raining too late to help anyone.

**TUESDAY**

Watching the news made Terry nervous. Not only about the coverage for the clinic, (where it showed him going in and out, clearly upset, with a freaking out Helena and a much more composed Damian) but also for the report on the explosion. 12 Jokerz, Jokerz he’d never met thankfully (though that was selfish and horrible and he knew it) had died. He watched them dragging the battered bodies, or pieces of bodies, out of the rubble with a sick fixation till Tim had shut the television off. “You shouldn’t torture yourself like this. You know that Ghoul is alive” he seemed sympathetic, but only for Terry. Of course he was he had no lost love for any of the Jokerz or their boss. Terry knew it was mean to think it, but if Tim and Jason woke up one day to find all the Jokerz in the world had mysteriously died, they’d celebrate. “Yea, Ghoul’s alive and okay, but these people…I met a few of them…there’s a kid in there, couple years older than Matt…I just feel for Ghoul. Imagine how he feels, watching this” Tim sighed, suddenly looking guilty. He went over and ruffled Terry’s hair. 

“I get it, no really, I do. But agonizing over the television, hoping not to see someone you know isn’t healthy and will just hurt you, okay? Take it from somebody who knows” Terry smiled sadly at Tim. Yea, he knew that Tim understood what it was like sitting in front of the television on breaking news of a horrible event and wishing against hope that his loved ones weren’t affected. But the mean thoughts still persisted that Tim didn’t really care about the people that were being hurt and it made Terry feel guilty.

Still, he stood up and hugged Tim tightly before going to grab his coat. He’d stayed up all night again; it was time to see how Ghoul was faring. 

The long sleeves were still there to hide the bruises from the warehouse and he was wearing stage make-up on his face, making him look like a zombie. His name-sake was even more fitting now and it made Terry shudder slightly when the grey eyes settled on him, peering out from the black circles covering his face. Logically Terry knew this was just a defense mechanism, because who wanted to get near a freak in zombie make-up? But on an emotional level it was unsettling and extremely worrying to see the (perceived) harmless man prepare for a confrontation. It took a little bit to see the exhaustion behind the make-up, and the hurt and sadness. The people in the warehouse were Ghoul’s _friends_ , and Terry knew he wasn’t going to be okay, but seeing it for real was like a punch in the gut.

“You look like you mean business” Terry offered lamely, after a long minute of him just staring at Ghoul going about his job. Ghoul snorted softly. “Yea, I mean business. Its personal now, Coe’s in the ICU and Spike may lose his eye. He got two fingers blown off, too. And then the ones who didn’t make it…” His voice wobbled dangerously and Terry walked swiftly to him, but was held off by a hand. “Hugs _hurt_ right now, Terry. Besides, I don’t…I got out with bruises, and there are friends dead”

Survivor’s guilt. Terry wasn’t sure, though, if this was just from the warehouse. After all, he’d gotten the impression that Ghoul had been in the Jokerz for a while now, so how many friends had he seen die over the years? “Suffocation isn’t just bruises, Ghoul. You almost died too” Terry couldn’t hide the angry anxiety in his voice, though it came out harsher than he’d intended. Ghoul glanced up in surprise at the tone, before looking down again and wrapping his arms gently around himself. “…I know. I’m sorry. I’m just…I’m not okay, okay?” Terry’s eyes softened and he gently, carefully, sidled up to Ghoul and placed a hand on his make-upped cheek. It felt tacky and odd, but if it helped Ghoul face the day, Terry certainly wasn’t going to comment. “How’s breathing? Your voice sounds better” The other made a slight face. “I still need a breathing thing at night when I sleep, and I’m not supposed to be running or doing too much strenuous activity. Apparently it’s going to be like this a few more weeks. My lungs got a little bruised too and Doc Thompkins wants to make absolute sure I haven’t permanently damaged anything” 

Terry’s free hand clenched. Whoever decided to detonate the warehouse was going to die. Maybe not by Terry’s hand, but he’d sure as hell enjoy breaking the bastard’s nose first before he met his fate. It wouldn’t fix things, but it would make Terry feel better. “You going to be okay doing the route?” Ghoul looked offended. “You can take the apartment ones with stairs if you really want, if it makes you feel better” He finally allowed, his voice scratching and making him visibly wince. Terry had the urge to drag him back up the path to the manor and inside and wrap Ghoul up in thick blankets and Terry’s arms, safe in Terry’s room away from all the darkness that was threatening to swallow the goth man whole. 

Unfortunately, life didn’t work that way. So when Ghoul slipped into his car with a weary, pained sigh, Terry followed. 

~*~

The route took a little longer than usual, but they weren’t late so Ghoul didn’t seem to really mind. He was too tired and drained for that, Terry could just _see_ in his eyes. He was halfway defeated. Ghoul didn’t talk too much except when explaining which paper went where in the apartments and Terry did his best to keep up with the directions, glad for the chance to get out and exercise his frustrations away. Besides, the less Ghoul was up and about, the better he was going to fare in the long run, despite what the man grumbled in protest. And yea, at this point he was seeing Tim’s point. There were 12 people dead, people Ghoul knew, but Ghoul was _alive_ and hurt and needed Terry. 

When the paper route was over, Terry ran his hand, knuckles to cheek, gently down Ghoul’s jawline. The man tensed and Terry sighed. “Look at me” it was a soft command and after a moment, Ghoul obliged. Terry leaned in and carefully placed his lips against Ghoul’s in a closed mouth kiss that lasted just a few seconds but felt longer. When he looked back he was pleased to see some amusement mixed in with the surprise, and smiled a little at Ghoul. “Call me if you need anything, okay? I mean it” Ghoul nodded once, giving a, joy of all joys, small chuckle. This made the whole morning worth it for Terry. “See you Friday, Ghoul” he slipped out of the car.

**FRIDAY**

It was cold, and a little rainy. May showers were upon them to quench the thirst of the blooming plants and grass and budding leaves. Funny how it hadn’t rained on the night of the explosion, the dampening of the fire might have saved lives, but then again, Mother Nature was a fickle creature who did things when she wanted and bowed to no mere mortal. Not even the Wayne family, much as Terry sometimes wished. 

He debated bringing an umbrella with him, but it wasn’t raining that hard and besides, he was going to spend most of his time either in Ghoul’s car or in an apartment. All he did was wear a thicker coat than normal with a hood. Damian was sitting by the door, working on something. It appeared to be a letter, but Terry wasn’t sure. For all he knew, it was a hit-list. Damian looked up as Terry walked cautiously closer, and smirked at his younger brother. It was shark-like and terrifying in its own right. “Tell Stewie I said hi” He chuckled at Terry’s angry expression and went back to his letter/hit list/whatever. “His name isn’t ‘Stewie’ it’s Ghoul!” muttered Terry hotly and Damian snickered. “He’ll always be little Stewie to me. So that’s what I’ll continue to call him, thanks” Terry just narrowed his eyes and shook his head, deciding that the potential argument wasn’t worth his time. He simply stormed out with Damian laughing behind him.

Ghoul was about a minute late and Terry’s stomach was clenched and his hand reaching for his phone when Ghoul’s car Silver sloshed up the drive. The goth, dressed in the long sleeves wore a black rain slicker as well this morning, the hood pulled up and over his head. The make-up was gone as well, but that was more likely because the rain would have made it run. Terry went up to him anxiously, looking him up and down to make sure there wasn’t anything obviously wrong. Besides being rather wet, Ghoul looked fine. Ghoul rolled his eyes finally and put a hand on Terry’s shoulder, making the younger look into his eyes. “ _Relax_. I’m okay, there’s nothing wrong. I just slept through my alarm a little, okay? I’m okay Terry” Terry snorted. “Look, I’m worried. And I’m going to _be_ worried till the gang war’s over, okay?” Ghoul looked down, rubbing a hand along his hood-covered neck. “I-yea, okay. I’m just not really used to…caring…” Terry smiled wryly. “You’re going to have to, because I’m not going to stop” 

The dark red blush sweeping over the little exposed skin Terry could see, such as Ghoul’s face and glimpses of ears, was adorable. He smiled at Ghoul. “Let’s get going, we don’t want to be late, do we?” a relieved smile was his reward for getting them back on track.

~*~

There was something that Terry wanted to bring up, had wanted for a few weeks, but with the explosion, it had been pushed to the back of his mind. However, he needed to address it. “So, I’m seventeen this year” he said conversationally and Ghoul glanced at him for a moment, confused. “Yea…?” Terry shrugged and continued. “Well, that makes me a senior and you know, it’s almost the end of the school year…” Ghoul took two minutes to figure it out. Terry watched the clock in Ghoul’s stereo and counted. “You…oh, _fuck!_ vous recevez un diplôme! vous pourriez avoir ... ahh ...” Terry was extremely confused and Ghoul back-tracked, obviously just aware he’d slipped into French. “You’re graduating. You could have mentioned this!” Terry frowned. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t think telling you in the medical clinic when you’re obviously struggling to breath was the best time to tell you, or ask that you come!”

Ghoul ran a hand over his face and sighed heavily. “Okay, point taken. When…when is it?” Terry shrugged. “June 28th, this week is finals” Ghoul nodded slightly. “Okay. Um…I’ll try to make it, I guess. And congratulations on making it just about. Any idea on college?” Terry shrugged. “Gotham University for my basics, and then probably to the college in Battery City. It’s got a great law program” Ghoul glanced over with interest. “Interested in going into law, then? Are you interested in being an officer or a lawyer?” Terry smiled. “Detective, actually” Ghoul laughed. “Fitting”

Terry decided not to mention Damian’s message and simply slid out of the car after kissing Ghoul’s cheek. “Be safe, Ghoul” a wry laugh. “I’ll try” it was the most Terry could ask for.


	19. Sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terry and Ghoul get a chance to just relax, and Ghoul does something for Terry

**TUESDAY**

_“Terry, go” “But-” “Just go!” Ghoul watched as his favorite blue eyes darkened with what was probably a sense of betrayal, and then Terry left, angrily shoving Damian out of his way. Then, it was just the childhood friends, well, and four other unconscious people, but for all intents and purposes, Ghoul and Damian were alone. Damian looked at Ghoul with his own sense of betrayal and anger and Ghoul sighed, his throat and lungs burning but he refused to admit a vulnerability in front of Damian._

_“Why didn’t you tell me where you were?!” Soft, angry and betrayed. It honestly surprised Ghoul. “I LOOKED FOR YOU!”_ That _was surprising. As was the unhappy tone of voice. Ghoul closed his eyes. “…I didn’t want to be found. I still don’t” Damian gave a short, angry chuckle. “You think the twip is going to let you slip away? If you try to hide, he will find you” yes, because Terry had the patience that Damian lacked. “Then let me stay unfound to the public, Damian. You, you have issues but you’re trustworthy. So promise me because that’s the only thing I’d believe from your mouth” Several expressions flickered over Damian’s face, but finally he settled on grim understanding. “He wants to kill you, doesn’t he?” Ghoul ran a hand over his face. “Yea. Father wants me dead. Staying gone lets me do what I want, and prolongs my chances of living” Damian snorted. “If you’d let someone_ kill _him-”_

 _He was cut off by Ghoul coughing and was by the other’s side in an instant, placing the mask over Ghoul’s face. Terry would kill him if he let Ghoul die from lack of air. When Ghoul’s breathing stabilized again he waved the mask away. “If you killed him, maman would be deported. Also, she’d be broken. She depends on him” it was a classic victim and abuser relationship, but covered behind elegance and riches and signs people politely ignored. Damian’s hand clenched around the mask and he scowled. “So you want to wait till he’s dead” Ghoul shrugged. “Maybe longer._ Please _Damian” Damian frowned, then sighed. “I promise not to talk about your real identity to anyone you don’t want me to” but he wasn’t happy with it and they both knew it._

_He helped Ghoul with the mask and then retreated to the door’s entrance, sparing his childhood friend a parting glance before going to help Terry with a hysteric Helena. Ghoul’s eyes were already closed._

Coming to an understanding with Damian over keeping his identity secret wasn’t something that Ghoul had ever actually considered possible. Or that he’d actually _talk_ to him, instead of just attempting to either throttle him or drag him back to Wayne Manor. The conversation was something he’d been thinking a lot about over the next few weeks as well, and the agreement. Sooner or later, Ghoul was going to have to pay Damian back for his silence, it was just a matter of when Damian came to collect his debts. Ghoul figured he had until he recovered enough to be useful again.

The good news on that front was that his breathing was getting better every day, with him following Leslie’s advice and breathing exercises. He pitied the idiots who thought they could go without the doctor’s advice, he really did. They were fools.

The bad news was that his nightmares had started featuring the air-pocket he’d been trapped in with the Deeds, Weasel and Woof for an hour and a half. And Delia’s grim assessment near the end of their confinement. _”If we’re in here any longer, someone’s going to start killing everyone else to stay breathing”_ then, the nightmare deviated from reality, and Delia grew long claws and her teeth sharpened as she began systematically killing everyone starting with her sister. The dream ended each morning with her plunging those claws into Ghoul’s chest, smiling sickly. He woke up every morning with his scream echoing in his ears. 

Weasel had been sent to Arkham Asylum for a panic based mental breakdown from the incident, and Woof was currently not speaking. The Dee Dees were regressing as well, becoming more like one person with two bodies than two individuals. The only reason Ghoul wasn’t as bad was Terry. Terry coming to see him, and then Terry continuing to stick with him in the café. Even after learning Ghoul’s identity. That, that had had a massive effect on him. _Terry still cared_ and texted him every day they didn’t see each other around noon, during his lunch break. This was what was keeping him sane. 

Well, that, and stuffing it as deep inside as he could. If he could box up the trauma from his childhood, he could box this up, surely. It was just a matter of ignoring and overpowering.

Through it all, Ghoul was very much aware that Terry was putting up with a lot. He wasn’t asking questions, was understanding about the hiding who he was, and simply tolerated Ghoul’s personality. The kid was an angel, or a saint, or something else that was so purely good. Ghoul knew he owed Terry in a big way. It was just a matter of what to do, since Terry was too young for drinking, and most clubs in Gotham.

But by the time he met Terry for the paper route, he knew. 

Bruised, painted lips (yes, his face paint was like a mask that he put on to stay strong) brushed Terry’s forehead and blue eyes looked into his grey ones with a happy curiosity. “You seem better” Ghoul smiled slightly. “Getting there. I figured you’d want to do something with me, as a sort of celebration” for living, making (somewhat) peace with Damian, actually starting to fall for Terry, and making it to nineteen weeks without dying. It was a celebration of many things. Terry grinned, extremely pleased with the idea, though he was chewing his lips. “Can we do it on Saturday? I’ve got all my finals during the week days” 

Ghoul nodded. It actually worked out perfectly. 

**SATURDAY**

“Can I take this blindfold off yet?” “No, sorry” Terry huffed softly and settled back into his seat. Ghoul just smiled slightly at Terry as the car wove upwards, towards the highest point in Gotham City. Due to some strings pulled by the Gordons, no Jokerz member or T-Gang member could leave city limits. This was actually fine, Ghoul knew the city better than almost anyone, and knew plenty of interesting or beautiful places. Maybe camping was out of the question, but he could certainly create some imaginative dates if he really had to. 

Ghoul had pulled a few strings to get his papers directly from the press instead of at his drop off point so he could pick Terry up early. It was for the sole purpose of beating the sunrise, so they could see it at their leisure. Ghoul stopped at the highest point the roads had access to. Terry’s hands went up to the blindfold. Ghoul stifled a chuckle and paused his hand. “Not yet” Terry groaned. Ghoul got out of his car and pulled a plastic bag out of the trunk of his car before going to Terry’s door. He helped the kid out and allowed Terry to keep a tight hold of his hand as he led him past the warning fence and towards the largely unvisited Grundy Lake. It was right at the limits of Gotham. Never let it be said he never tried pushing boundaries. 

When Ghoul finally removed the blindfold and grinned at the pained blinking and gradual awed look on Terry’s face as he stared at the lake and the first streaks of pink morning light running across the water. Ghoul was sitting on a picnic table, letting the younger soak it up. “Grundy Lake. According to legend this place used to be a swamp, and a gangster named Solomon Grundy died in it or something. Years later, they turned the swamp into a lake, but according to some people, his ghost still haunts the area” 

Terry snorted and sat down by Ghoul. “Leave it to you to find a place with that sort of history” Ghoul laughed. The legend also said that Grundy protected gang members, thieves and other low-lives, so the lake was one of the few places Ghoul felt safe at. 

“This area is my favorite place to be at. When life got hard with my family, I’d come up here to camp out, think, hide for a few days” Terry ran a hand through the (thankfully fading out) purple and green hair. The meaning didn’t seem to be lost on him. Ghoul glanced back and smiled at Terry, opening the bag and placing two breakfast egg sandwiches in front of them. “Figured breakfast and sunrise watching was a nice change of pace” Terry chuckled. “As long as Grundy doesn’t rise out of the depths and asks for food, yes”

He didn’t, and they had a very nice time just relaxing in each other’s company and nature.


	20. Reprieve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terminal has a little freak out moment to his best friend, but the notion of the Waynes possibly getting involved smooths ruffled feathers. Terry and Ghoul talk about Mother's Day, and Terry's sisters he hasn't met yet.

**TUESDAY**

“I just don’t know what to do, Trey. The twins are losing their individual traits, Woof’s gone as mute as Saiko from trauma, Weasel is in the asylum with no signs of a quick recovery, and Ghoul may _seem_ fine but I’ve seen him in stare off into space, and his friend Ro says sometimes she hears him screaming about the incident through the walls” Terminal paced back and forth in front of his best and closest friend, who was watching the hit-man with a detached interest as he cleaned his gun. “Sounds like you’re stuck with the brunt of it, man. I dunno, have they found J-Man yet? The idiot could at _least_ help you deal with the twins” Terminal shook his head. “He said he was going to go hunting. I’m not getting in his way if he’s in the mood for torturing the scum-bags. I just hope he finds them soon”

Terminal and Trey were in Terminal’s apartment, as it was where Terminal could do some thinking in private without fear that people would interrupt him. Trey, on his part, hung around in the hopes of Terminal’s cooking moods. Most people loved his cooking and Trey didn’t get that many good meals to really be shameful of mooching off his friend. Terminal needed someone to talk him down, anyway. Joker was in the hospital and currently out of the picture, the twins were currently untrustworthy with anything more dangerous than look-out, J-Mann was hunting down the people who blew up the warehouse, and Harley was currently in jail for her own safety. Terminal was the only one capable of leading the Jokerz left. And he wasn’t doing well under the stress. 

Trey put his guns down and sighed. “Carter!” He barked, making the younger freeze. “You’re terrified of failing, _I get it_. But think about it; Ghoul is currently also affiliated with the bats. Which means…” Terminal looked at Trey appraisingly. “Which means I may not have to do very much work. Waynes take care of their own and if Ghoul’s dating McGinnis, they’re going to get involved” Trey smirked. “Exactly. Make sure nobody else caught in the blast dies, and do clean up and damage control. I have a feeling this war’s gonna end real soon, now” Terminal folded his arms as he regarded his friend in a new light. “How did you fail sixth grade again, exactly”

The other man shrugged. “Sick sister, no food or shoes, bum dad, hating the world. It doesn’t take a lot of brainpower to put logic together, though” Terminal barked laughter.

~*~

When he got to where Ghoul and Terry were, tailing them discreetly on his motorcycle, he caught the image of Jason Todd, whom he’d worked with a few times. He was also keeping an eye on them. Terminal smirked and raised a hand. If the psycho that was Todd was putting aside his dislike of Jokerz to keep an eye on his little brother and the brother’s boyfriend, then the war really was just about wrapped up. When Jason caught Terminal’s eye he raised a hand in return before retreating into the shadows.

Oh, yea, this hell was almost done.

**FRIDAY**

Ghoul ran his hand through Terry’s soft, soft hair. He hadn’t done it in a while and it felt really nice on his hands, which were finally feeling better since the bruises were going away. He now no longer looked quite so much like some sort of leopard when he looked in the bathroom mirror. Terry chuckled at the hand and took it in his own. There had been a bit of a break for them, the T-Gang was probably lying back for a bit while the Jokerz dealt with their dead and injured. But, he held no warm hopes that they’d stay down until the Jokerz could get back on their feet. The T-Gang boss Fat T was a cold and ruthless bastard, less flamboyant than Joker and twice as methodological. 

Terry bounced in his seat, happy and less worried seeming after the trip to the lake. “Mother’s Day is this Sunday” He stated carefully and Ghoul glanced at him. “…You know, I thought you’d be sad about that” Terry shook his head. “Selina is a _great_ mom. Maybe my actual mom is gone, but she’d whack me over the head if she caught me moping on Mother’s Day and not celebrating the mom I’ve got” Ghoul chuckled. “That’s one way to look at it, I suppose. I have a feeling any wife of Bruce would be totally spoiled every Mother’s Day. That would be one reason to be married to him, no offense to you or Selina” Terry paused, then snickered, shrugging.

“None taken. It’s probably true. Some sisters I haven’t met are also coming for Mother’s Day, and to hang out for the summer. Since me and Matt arrived just after Mother’s Day last year, and both have been doing stuff” Ghoul nodded. “I know those three. The red-head girl and the one who was a foster kid for a while. And the daughter of the dead mafia boss. Isn’t the foster kid dating one of the adopteds?” Terry nodded, rolling his eyes. “It’s gotten a lot of press, some people say its fine, other’s say it’s incest by law. I don’t think they care though” Ghoul chuckled. “Doubt it. Well, I’ve only met Kitty, before she became a Wayne, and before her dad died, I might add, and Stephanie. After she was brought to the manor and shortly before I left the rich scene. The other one will be interesting”

Terry shrugged. “Well, it’ll be interesting” Ghoul nodded and hugged Terry quickly. “That it will. You should get in. get your Mother’s Day gift ready” the younger nodded, looking at Ghoul with a little concern. “What about you and your mom?” Ghoul shrugged. “What about me and maman?” He smiled faintly. “I send flowers every year with no return address. Don’t worry about it” Terry did look like he worried though, and hugged Ghoul before getting out of the car. “It’s not fair”

But it was life, and sometimes, it had to be lived.


	21. More Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mother's Day went well, and Terry deals with meeting three more of Bruce Wayne's charges.

**TEUSDAY**

Well, Ghoul had been right about Selina being absolutely spoiled Mother’s Day. He’d also been right about things getting decidedly more… _interesting_ with the three girls coming to the manor. Stephanie was a human rights activist and worked in Africa getting basic necessities to people there. She and Terry actually had a few interesting conversations about making things better for the poor in Gotham. Carrie was a Shakespearean actress and had starred in a few big movies in the last few years. Matt really liked her because he was a fan of some of her movies. Terry found her a little flamboyant (green sunglasses? Really? What was the point?) but well-meaning and fun. 

Kitty was a high-rising singer and pretty much everyone found her to be a bit of a diva. She was alternate parts shy stutterer and yowling back-talker and Terry found talking to her equal parts interesting and exhausting. What he _really_ liked the girls for, however, was keeping a suddenly very curious Damian Wayne busy, as he kept trying to get into Terry and Ghoul’s business. Carrie was similar to Dick in that she was the only person who he respected (Terry also noted that on Mother’s Day she received something small from him as well) and listened to. And Terry put up with Kitty far more than he normally would have because she annoyed the hell out of Damian. They always seemed to be arguing, and as long as he was arguing with Kitty, he wasn’t trying to bother Terry. It worked out well.

So, while Damian and Kitty were arguing about socks of all things, Terry slipped through the door, glad they were too busy laying into each other to pay too much attention to him. He ran into Carrie though, who just grinned. “Don’t worry, Tim told me about you and your friend. I’m just out here enjoying the weather” Terry ran his hand through his hair and pointed at the door, from which the arguing of Damian and Kitty were still barely within earshot. “Could you keep those two busy if they try…you know” Carrie laughed. “No worries! Me and Steph know how to keep those two occupied. You go and have fun. Just be safe, yea?” Terry smiled in relief. “Thanks, Carrie” she waved him away. “Like I said, no worries. Now go or you’ll be late”

~*~

It was honestly nice seeing Ghoul looking better each time Terry saw him. The make-up was still on, but he was smiling a little more, and the long sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. The purple and green hair was fading back to blond as well, which Terry was happy about. The dyed hair was interesting, but he really preferred the blond that he’d first seen Ghoul with. As usual, Terry simply watched and waited till Ghoul was done delivering their newspaper, before going up to him. “Did you get the flowers to your mom?” He had been worrying about that a little. From the little he’d managed to glean about the Winthrops, the paranoia in the family ran high (explained a few things about Ghoul, actually) and it could be very hard for things to get in. Ghoul shrugged. “Yea, I sent her the flowers. I’m pretty sure she got them too, since she was wearing a flower in her lapel like the kind I sent her in her interview on the Godfrey Show…” Terry relaxed a little at that. He supposed the reason he was so hung up on this was remembering Mary McGinnis. He did miss her a lot. 

Ghoul and Terry were mostly quiet during the ride, Terry more concerned with thoughts about his “sisters” and how to get around them in the morning, as well as his brothers. He was also a little worried with how much each knew. Carrie probably knew the whole story, or as much as Tim knew, at least, and Stephanie probably the same. Terry was just worried about Kitty, as according to the others she sometimes let private information slip. Not that she meant to, but apparently she got extremely nervous when in a confronting situation, like an interview. 

Ghoul touched his shoulder and he jumped. “Relax, you’re alright” He murmured. “How are the girls?” Terry shrugged, pulling a slight face. “Interesting…Carrie, the redhead reminds me of a sort of den-mom, and kind of Barb’s second in command when dealing with us in family terms. I almost prefer her to Barb. She’s tough, but knows when to relax and be kind. Sometimes Barbara has problems with that. I haven’t really talked to Stephanie too much, she’s been with Tim mostly, but she seems nice. Kitrina is the one that I’m not sure about” Ghoul smirked. “Sounds like a pretty good assessment of each of them. You’ll make a very good detective, Mr. McGinnis” Terry gently whacked his arm as Ghoul laughed loudly. 

“But I don’t think you need to worry about Kitrina. She…well, she masks herself pretty well” Terry tilted his head and waited for Ghoul to continue. After a moment, he did. “It made huge headlines, but her uncle tried to kill her when she was thirteen. Selena adopted her after rescuing the kid from the box in the river she was trapped in” Terry gasped and Ghoul nodded. “I knew her from before she was adopted though, when her dad was still alive and before her uncle tried to off her. We both recognized each other as domestic violence victims, but being kids we didn’t mention it to anyone but each other” Terry raised an eyebrow. “Did you and Kitty see each other often?” Ghoul rolled his eyes. “Terry, I’m gay. I only tried it with a girl _once_ and it wasn’t my thing. Yes, she was a playmate. Her family was also old money. I’m just saying that Kitty’s got a lot of damage, but she’s a good girl. At least she was when I knew her. So you know, you can trust her”

It was actually nice having an impartial party give their assessment of one of Terry’s family members, especially one he’d never met before. The route continued in more silence, but it was a better kind with Terry’s mind being, for now, put at ease. He kissed Ghoul before getting out of the car at the end. He couldn’t afford to risk getting bombarded with questions, at least until he was on better grounds with Kitty, Steph and Carrie.

**FRIDAY**

While he understood that Kitty was Ghoul’s friend, and had a hard life, and was just using her personality as a wall, he didn’t really like her and didn’t look forward to putting up with her for the next two months. She was either in a loud, angry mood, or she was sulking, or in a loud good mood. He hated to admit it, but he and Damian had someone they mutually disliked. Which sucked because Terry would prefer to be friends with Damian’s less liked people, simply to get on the other’s nerves. There was also the uncomfortable feeling that if Ghoul’s parents had had him play with Kitty when they were children, it probably meant they expected Ghoul to _marry_ Kitty, and Terry just didn’t know how to feel about that. 

He almost expected Kitty to be there with Ghoul when he got there, but he wasn’t. It was just Ghoul leaning against the hood of his car, looking up at a sky black from light pollution. Terry swallowed away a warm feeling that was threatening to spread through his entire body. Ghoul was waiting for him. There had been an unspoken assumption and agreement that if Terry was late, Ghoul would continue without him, but not today. Today _Ghoul was waiting for him_. that realization was amazing and heady and Terry was grinning widely by the time he got to the car, feeling if he smiled any wider he’d become a Cheshire Cat, or break his face, or something. 

Ghoul gave him an odd look, and a curious smile. Terry just shook his head and hugged him. “I just suddenly feel happy” the blond shrugged, still smiling. “Oh-kay…” As though he hadn’t realized what he’d done. It was sweet and wonderful and it made it easy for Terry to ignore his worry about Kitty and Damian and Ghoul. 

Terry knew it was going to bother Ghoul’s OCD, but he moved the older man till he was practically lying on the hood of the car as he kissed him. Finally, though, Terry was the one who ended it for once, and he just brushed the hair out of Ghoul’s eyes. They were both blushing, Terry was pretty sure. Ghoul looked a little disoriented and Terry snickered. “Paper route. Oh, and someone might have been watching” That little tid-bit sure killed the mood quickly, but it had been intended to. Ghoul groaned and rolled out from under Terry and got into his car quickly. Terry was laughing as he got in after him. “Excited?” Ghoul did his best to give him a death glare.

It failed miserably.


	22. Scares aren't always fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghoul gets himself freaked out over an incident with Harley's "boys", Terry gets scared for him, and then nervous about his relationship with Ghoul, brought on by a certain older sister.

**Tuesday**

Terry slid into the car, rather disconcerted by the change in smell and appearance. It was clean, and smelled of air freshener and wild animal. Terry was more disconcerted by Ghoul's wide awake appearance, as, as his adoptive father would have said “He rode shotgun with the devil and got out with his soul” Terry poked Ghoul, who shrieked, and then broke into a panicked laughing fit. This was the freakiest thing that Terry had ever seen the goth do, and he pushed himself away and into his seat. 

 

He wanted to leave the car, but instinct did not rule over him, his loyalty to his boyfriend currently did. So, he didn't claw for the handle and launch himself out of the car like he wanted. He waited till Ghoul was okay enough to not be laughing anymore. “Thought I'd have to call Arkham there for a minute” He said, smiling nervously. Ghoul closed his eyes for a moment, looking 110% done with things. “I really thought so too there, actually. But earlier I thought I'd be in the _morgue_ so...” immediately Terry tensed. “What happened?”

 

Ghoul shrugged, hands clenching and unclenching on the steering wheel. “I had to take Bud and Lou to the vet and they were _not_ happy hyenas” He said this statement like taking two hyenas to the vet was the most normal thing in the world. Terry on his part, felt his jaw drop as he spluttered, struggling to come up with a suitable response. He couldn't think of one. “Why were you taking Bud and Lou to the vet?” Ghoul shrugged. “Well, Harley loves her boys and thought that Lou might have worms, while Bud had a broken paw. Her car broke so I was recruited to taking them” 

 

This still didn't explain to Terry why Harley had two hyenas and quite frankly he was growing too scared to ask. “So why is the car so clean?” Ghoul smiled wryly. “The hyenas were apparently offended by the mess so Harley made me clean it before the two princes deigned to set paw in the backseat” Terry blinked a few times, trying to process this. “That why you look like you know the definition of 'being alive'?” Another high pitched panicked laugh and Terry again leaned back. “They tried to bite my _hands off_. Do you have any idea how powerful a hyena's jaws are? Thank god Harley was there or I honestly think they'd have killed me”

This time Terry hugged him and kissed his forehead. “You're okay, Ghoul” The goth smiled at him, looking slightly more calm. “I know, thank you Terry. I just generally avoid Harley's 'babies', they guard her or come get the Deeds when they've stayed out past curfew, but otherwise I don't deal with them” He took a deep breath. “Least I'm not the idiot that called them 'cute doggies', not even Harley could stop them making dog chow out of that guy” He started the car, but kept a hand in Terry's until the first house. He gripped it as if his life depended on it and Terry let him.

When they got back to the manor Terry hugged Ghoul tightly. On the downside, he'd almost gotten mauled by two hyenas. On the brightside, his car was clean, he was alive, and there was no container of his black sludge of coffee in sight. All in all, not the worst morning despite the scare in the beginning.

**Friday**

Kitty insisted on accompanying Terry to the car that morning. It bugged Terry because he was still on edge with the fact that Ghoul and Kitty had probably been friends simply because their parents had hoped for a marriage. But Kitty had started _crying_ and there was no way that Terry could in good conscience just leave her there crying over not seeing a friend she'd assumed was dead for the last ten years(he sympathized there, actually). Still, it didn't mean he had to _like_ taking her with him. He also didn't like when she squealed at seeing the blond, and had bowled him over like Terry had the first time he'd ever met Ghoul. Terry scowled at it, trying to quell the feeling inside, but it was useless.

He was jealous of Kitty Falcone and he couldn't help it. It got worse when Ghoul got up and began talking excitedly with Kitty for several minutes before his ocd kicked in and he also noticed Terry. Then, he and Kitty had a reluctant farewell (a little _too_ reluctant in Terry's opinion) before Ghoul gestured for Terry to get into the car and Kitty started going back up to the manor. She paused though and hugged Terry tightly. “Thanks kid. I didn't think I'd see him again” This made Terry feel guilty and rather bad, but the jealousy overpowered the other feelings.

Ghoul knew something was up almost immediately. Terry kept speaking in monosyllables and staring angrily straight ahead. Ghoul finally sighed during the route and flicked Terry on the ear, the teen jumping and clapping a hand to his ear, glaring at Ghoul reproachfully. “ _Ow_!” He said petulantly and Ghoul raised an eyebrow. “You want to tell me what the hell is wrong with you, or do you want me to take you home?” Terry gritted his teeth. “I'm not a child! Don't treat me like one!” Ghoul's eyebrows went up. “You are sort of acting like one right now” He pointed out reasonably and Terry frowned and turned his head.

Ghoul poked him till he turned back to face him. “What?!” Ghoul's face was for a nanosecond confused and hurt before it smoothed over into a carefully blank mask. The nanosecond hurt Terry. He knew that he'd never really blown up like this without good reason, and of course Ghoul had no idea why Terry was angry that morning. He probably thought it had been something he'd done. It sort of had been, the jealous part of Terry thought, though the more reasonable side of him pointed out that Ghoul didn't _know_ about Terry's feelings about Kitty. Hell, he probably hadn't even realized about the marriage thing. He seemed the sort who's be clueless about it.

 

“You going to talk to me?”

Terry sighed. “I...just...Kitty bugs me, sometimes. How she...with you...” Terry ducked his head, feeling embarrassed now that it was sort of out there, because outside of his head it did sound ridiculous. Ghoul had the decency to not laugh at him, at least. He stroked Terry's hair and when the younger was able to look up at him, he was smiling fondly. “Ah, jealousy. It's actually a compliment, this. Though for future reference you should reserve your jealousy for other men because I've only dated _one_ girl and that was not Kitty”

This washed the bitter feelings away, mostly. Though as they drove on, Terry was consumed with a different, colder feeling and one thought, though he did very well to hide both from Ghoul.

_Where was Ghoul's ex girlfriend, and was there any chance of her coming back?_


	23. Daddy Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terry talks to people about father's day

**TEUSDAY**

There were good reasons Terry didn’t spend very much time with his co-captain of the wrestling team. He absolutely could not stand Nelson Nash. The guy was a self-centered, self-righteous spoiled bully with a family of cops and lawyers as his lineage. And Terry hated him. For one thing, since Terry’s stay in juvie he’d been quite bitter about having to be co-captain to “jail bird trash” and Terry’s immediate popularity when his parentage was revealed had won him no points with Nelson Nash. Absolutely none.

Which was why they were sitting together in a jail cell together, cuffed to opposite sides and nursing wounds brought on by a fight in the middle of the street. Terry glanced over to see Nash’s venomous glare before the other turned his head with a snort. They’d been in there a few hours now, Barb having left them to stew after she’d taken one look at them. “You need to settle your differences and I won’t let you out even a second before you make nice over whatever it is that got you two fighting in the first place” she’d said. Terry figured it was maybe to get back at him for dating Ghoul since she didn’t like the blond in the least.

Which brought them to why he and Nash had been fighting in the first place. 

It wasn’t Terry’s fault that Nash’s apartment was one that Ghoul delivered, nor was it his fault (okay, yes it totally was but he’d never admit it to _Nash_ ) that Nash had looked out his window when he’d heard something, and seen Terry dragging Ghoul in for a kiss. It was Nash’s fault for coming up to Terry on the street and making fun of Terry’s situation. It was Nash’s fault for threatening both of them, “Just to make things interesting” because obviously Terry was doing this for attention, so why not have their secret be blown, to give Terry the attention he wanted? It was Nash’s fault for calling Ghoul a cock-sucking gold-digging whore.

But it was Terry’s fault for throwing the first punch.

Terry had always been the better fighter, despite size and weight ratio in comparison to Nelson Nash. So despite the punk-ass prep being bigger than Terry, Nelson was the one with the black eye and needing to replace two teeth. He’d been screaming when Terry was pulled off of him on the street. “Fuggin-” Terry shot him a glance that got him to shut up. “I wouldn’t even fucking dare right now, Nash” He growled and slammed his shackled wrist against the bars. It hurt but he was past caring. “Because of you and your big mouth, we’re here” And because of _Terry’s_ big mouth they didn’t even get a phone call. Barb and Nash’s dad knew they were there anyway, but Terry would have liked to call Ghoul.

The two schoolmates stood there for a while longer before Nelson broke. Maybe the predator’s glare and the not so subtle shifts in posture to a fighting stance from Terry had unnerved him enough. “Sowwy bout…Makin fun of _that guy_ ” He finally said, and Terry nodded, being careful not to laugh about the lisp from the two front teeth being gone. “Just he’s a fr-” “Quit while you’re ahead, Nash”

~*~

Ghoul was calling Terry on the phone after Terry had been driven home, and had been given no less than four lectures in quick succession by Alfred, Dick, Carrie and Bruce Wayne. The last conversation hadn’t been fun in the slightest, mostly because no matter what Terry did, he still felt like he was being looked at disapprovingly by the man. The look he received over the fight made him want to sink into the ground.

It didn’t help the story was being covered on the news, but Nash was keeping his mouth shut on what had caused the fight, so Terry didn’t have to go and try and kill the bastard yet. A silver lining in every stormcloud, as Mary McGinnis would say.

 _”Terry, I have no idea what he did to piss you off, but you could have had a little more restraint”_ Ghoul sounded both amused and annoyed when Terry picked up the phone and Terry groaned. “Don’t even right now, Ghoul. I am not in a good mood” soft laughter came over the line and Terry’s face heated in shame. _I’m seeing that all over the news, mon amore. But I still say anything would have been better than kicking his teeth in and attempting to punch his nose into a Voldemort impersonation”_ Terry did manage a laugh at the comparison. “He saw me kiss you this morning and was threatening to squeal. I’m his wrestling captain. I had to remind him **why** ” there was a long pause on the line. _”You could have told me, I’m fairly sure a former friend of his would have been dying to go after him himself. You would have managed to avoid the news in any case”_

But who this ‘friend’ was had Terry wondering, and the person he thought of just sent a bunch of pent up anger into his blood. He hoped that Ghoul wasn’t referencing who he thought he was referencing. Terry wanted Nash to know his place, not end up dead.

**FRIDAY**

Everyone was talking about Father’s Day on Sunday while Terry was trying to decide how much he really wanted to know if Carter Wilson was still in the Jokerz, if he was alive, and if Ghoul knew him. There had been a few signs, over the months, some things that Ghoul had mentioned, but Terry had ignored them because he didn’t want it to get in the way of their relationship. But now, he wanted to know. He just didn’t know what he’d do once he found out for sure, and that was why he was torn about it. 

And on top of that, there was Father’s Day. Oh joy of joys. Terry had _not_ been looking forward to it this year, and for once he and Jason agreed with each other. Which was surreal and kind of frightening in and of itself. “So Terry, what are you getting dad?” Terry tried not to scowl at Stephanie. She had done nothing to him but ask about…that. “I dunno yet. Maybe a card, or something” She gave him a look but shrugged and walked away, sensing he didn’t want to talk at the moment. Or maybe she’d seen Jason walk up and wanted to get the hell out of there. Terry on his part wished he could leave. There was something frightening about Jason Todd, and nobody liked being around him when he was in a mood. Which was pretty much every second of every day. Blue-grey eyes bored into Terry’s lighter blue ones and the man smirked. “You don’t have to give him anything. I spend maybe five minutes with him to say thanks, and it seems to work” Terry sighed. “I don’t know if that would work for me, much as I wish it would”

Jason gave him a funny look. “I was trying to steal the tires off his car when he adopted me, you know. And if I recall you’ve been in juvie for gang violence” He didn’t have to add that juvie was something they shared. “If being buddies with Bruce bothers you, then straight up tell him and do what makes you comfortable” it was Terry’s turn to give Jason an odd look. “Why are you helping me, Todd?” the older man shrugged. “Questionable tastes in people aside, you’re not a bad kid. And Bruce doesn’t always knows what’s best for a particular person” He then winked. “Bugging this family is one of my favorite past times besides. Letting you know you have a _choice_ is going to twist Dickie-bird’s undies up in some fierce knots and I can’t wait to see it” He pushed past Terry, who simply looked on with a bemused expression on his face. 

~*~

Ghoul seemed equally glum about the soon upcoming holiday, though he was trying to remain positive in the face of Terry’s ire for his father. Finally, the blond man broke. “Terry, tu bêtise mais doux. Je ne sais pas si vous embrasser ou vous frappez” He didn’t offer an explanation to Terry’s look of confusion and gave him a look. “All I ever hear from you is complaint after complaint for your father. But he has done quite a bit of good for you and your brother, as well as every other person he’s ever had in his care”

Terry shook his head, frustrated. “I don’t get one smile out of him, or a word of encouragement! When I do come across him, it’s just hard stares and awkward conversations. Not the way I want to talk to a dad, you know?” Ghoul shrugged. “My dad beat me and wants me dead. I had to run away from home. At least your dad seems to be trying. But what would _you_ say to an almost adult stranger you’ve just found out is yours?” Terry was speechless for a long while. “I’m sorry” it was really the only thing he could say to Ghoul, who shook his head. “I can deal with my life. You might want to concentrate on your own problems. Maybe talk to him” that was a scary thought, but the flashback of Jason admitting he could barely stand in the same room as Bruce Wayne for even five minutes was enough for Terry to decide that yes, Ghoul was right.

“So, what will you be doing on Father’s Day?” Ghoul hummed. “Getting so drunk I skip the hangover and am totally smashed Monday, too” Terry looked at him. “And here you are giving me a whole thing on having a better relationship with my dad!” “He’s not trying to kill you!” “You’re still a hypocrite!” They were both laughing though. 

And when Terry left the car and saw Bruce Wayne on the grounds, he steeled himself and went up to the older man. This was embarrassing and humbling, even more so when the man gave his son a questioning look. Terry bowed his head and looked away. “I’m…sorry…for everything” for complaining, for yelling at him, ignoring him, hating him. He really was sorry for all of it. Terry looked up when there was a hand on his shoulder and for a moment he could have sworn that Bruce was smiling at him. But it was gone before he could get a good look. “It’s okay” Terry could hear the understanding and gave a brief smile of his own. Yea, it was all okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what Ghoul said: "Terry, you silly but sweet thing. I don't know whether to kiss you or hit you"


	24. Graduation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terry is graduating and there's tension. lots of it. especially of the sexual kind. Ghoul does his best to relieve at least a little of it. and Terminal is just a broken kid nobody knows how to fix.

**TEUSDAY**

Terry’s graduation was this week. It was sort of funny to Ghoul, being excited for someone he’d wanted to kick out of his car a few months ago. If this was love, then love was strange. Not being able to imagine himself without someone was normal, it was what he’d come to expect. But looking forward to pushing himself out of his comfort zone just to see someone light up with happiness…that was new. He’d never experienced that before. That was new and frightening. And exciting. A part of him welcomed it. Terry had different goals, and for the first time Ghoul was okay with this idea. 

With it all going on, he could almost ignore the fact that there was a large chance of getting caught in his relationship (still illegal, still wrong. Despite it feeling right and right and right) with Terry if he went to the graduation-or the subsequent party Bruce Wayne was holding for all the graduates after. It was going to be a themed party, but no word to the normal middle class sitting in front of their televisions or reading about it in the papers had any idea what the theme was. Neither did Ghoul, for that matter. Terry wouldn’t tell him. 

“Maybe I don’t know either” Ghoul just had to glance at him before snorting. “You, my dear, are a _terrible_ liar” Terry pouted but there was nothing behind it. He knew he was a bad liar, plenty of people had told him. “You didn’t even really look at me” But he hadn’t thought he was _that_ bad a liar! Ghoul laughed. “You do this weird thing with your hands, I don’t have to get a full look at you to see it” Terry sighed. “I hate body language” Ghoul gave him another side glance. “I don’t know…I find it quite useful at times” He was rewarded with a hot blush, something he could make out even in the dim dark of his car.

Ghoul brushed his hair behind his ears. “So, what do you want for graduation?” Terry didn’t even hesitate. “You” Ghoul choked on his breath. “You know why that’s a no” Terry scowled. “Oh, sorry. Since I’m a bad liar I figured you’d appreciate it if I was _honest_ ” Okay, maybe the bad liar thing did bother him a little. Ghoul grimaced. “That’s not fair. That’s really not fair” Terry looked out the window. 

The silence was heavy and tense the rest of the route. It bothered Ghoul. Like the first time. Like _every_ time Terry was upset, it didn’t feel natural or right. Terry was sarcastic, brash and happy. Brooding like a demon in a belfry didn’t fit him. When Terry got out at the end, Ghoul instinctively dragged him back into the car, and into his arms. Terry was stiff and surprised, another thing that didn’t feel right with the impulsive young man. Bony fingers carded through black hair and Ghoul fitted his forehead in the crook of Terry’s neck. “I don’t want to lose you, _this_. I…” ‘Love you, love you. I love you’ his head and heart sing-songed, but his lips wouldn’t form the words. “I greatly care for you” Terry stiffened more and then wrapped arms around Ghoul. “Um…okay” Bitter but understanding. It was somehow more crushing than angry words.

Ghoul closed his eyes for a moment after Terry had left; hoping whatever funk the teen had fallen into he’d climb out of soon. Ghoul at this point didn’t want him to leave.

Terry had forced him out of his comfort zone. Terry had forced him to fall in love.

**SATURDAY**

Nothing had really happened on Friday except being informed that the party was a masked formal, and Ghoul was still invited. There was maybe some attempts at an apology, but Terry didn’t seem to know how to properly give it and Ghoul wasn’t going to push it. He wouldn’t have minded getting rammed into the backseat, but paranoia and whatever screwed up moral compass he had kept him from letting Terry do what he wanted and chance getting the law called on them. Sure, logically, there were a lot of kid-adult and teen-adult sexual relationships going on unfound in the city, but Ghoul wasn’t chancing Lady Luck to decide he’d had enough of getting the good side of the flipped coin. 

This didn’t stop him from looking for loopholes and alternatives however. 

It was relatively fruitless. Handjobs, illegal, blowjobs, illegal, anything to do with the back end was most certainly illegal. Yes, Ghoul saw the irony of a criminal attempting to obey the law, but irony could go fuck itself. Terminal had wandered in on one of Ghoul’s more lengthy searches, and watched the other goth guiltily close his laptop. “Unless you were watching animal porn, I’m not going to comment” He rasped and Ghoul gave him a look. Terminal had mental issues. The more serious kind nobody, not even Joker (because he didn’t want to create another Jack/’Creeper’ problem, presumably) really wanted to mess with. Ghoul was pretty sure it was an extreme case of bipolar, but the kind that borderlined on dissociative identity disorder. When he went into a mood, his voice got raspier. Hearing it made Ghoul’s hair stand on end. Terminal didn’t really look like he did in one of his moods though. It was just the voice.

“Not looking at porn. Just a loophole” He stated carefully, watching the other. Getting ready to get up and run came naturally, but again Terminal just stood there. If anything, he looked a little lost. “If you need a distraction, I can give one. Or you know, turn security cameras off. I can do that just as well as you can” Ghoul’s heart began going a bit faster, but he stared at the other warily. “Why should I trust you?” _Now_ it was time to scoop his laptop off the table and get out of the chair as Terminal upended the table in a sudden, though momentary, rage.

Ghoul swallowed as the younger man panted for a few moments, and then rubbed the palms of his hands into his eyes, as though preventing himself from crying. “I should have graduated. But I ruined someone’s life and cost Terry a friend. I had nothing against either, they were nice…” ah. It must be flashbacks. Or something. Ghoul looked away from the suddenly very vulnerable and childlike Terminal. “It’s the old town hall building. Where the reception is. You know, from when Gotham was still a town” he left the broken boy in his kitchen, taking his computer with him. That was something he had a feeling he shouldn’t have seen.

~*~

The graduation was spectacular; but then again, anything backed by the Wayne family tended to be a grand affair. Lots of people came, friends families, excited people who wanted to be caught on camera…the usual, really. Ghoul took a seat in the back to watch. People went up and took their diplomas, identical in the blue and gold gowns and caps. Big smiles for all, big and excited because they had a future, the roll of paper in their sweaty hands was proof of that. The valedictorian’s speech was boring and uninspired in Ghoul’s opinion, but it seemed to be popular so he couldn’t say anything. Not that he was supposed to. He clapped politely after every kid, and only spared Terry’s walk across the stage a large grin. When the whole thing was done the kids went to their families and Ghoul drifted towards the Waynes (as did many). But he only made sure Terry had seen him before leaving. A wave, thumbs up and smile and then he was gone. 

For the party he’d gotten out a slightly wrinkled suit, handy for when playing “proper looking body guard” to Joker when needed, and a fox mask he’d bought the night before. Saving his newspaper money had been a good idea, though maybe it could have been spent in a better way. Though Ghoul couldn’t think of one. He picked up his fancy invitation he’d gotten in the mail that day, gave a purring Freedom a quick pet as she twined around his ankles, before heading out to the party. 

He almost wasn’t let inside. There were guards everywhere and unless you produced a school id card from the highschool, or had an official invitation, you weren’t allowed in. Ghoul’s was checked twice, which was rather annoying. But he was eventually let into the party without further incident. 

Terry was easy to spot, though he had a silver and blue mask covering his eyes. There were several girls hovering around him like may flies. Ghoul adjusted his mask, smirked, and went over, remembering tips from when he was a waiter at the stripper club and doing his absolute best to walk seductively. He felt he looked like an idiot, and wasn’t sure if the eyes following him reflected that idea, or were watching because he was succeeding. In any case, he got Terry’s attention. He was glad there was only slight hints of purple and green in his hair now. The blond looked so much better when matched with a suit and red fox mask. 

Some girl with dyed white/blue hair and a butterfly mask looked him up and down. “Excuse me. Who are you?” Ghoul grinned. “Tall, blond and dangerous. Now shoo” Terry tried not to snicker. If he hadn’t known who it was under the mask before, he did now. Ghoul had an incredibly distinct voice. The girls looked at him, offended and he gave an easy smile. “We can discuss who I dance with later. I would like to talk to my…friend” the girls huffed off and Ghoul only sort of hoped he was the only one who caught the pause. 

Terry and Ghoul regarded each other for a moment before Ghoul grinned at him. There was something almost feral in the grin; the look from Terry said that was a very good thing. “If you haven’t danced with anyone, may I be your first?” a kind of gaping gold fish look then and Ghoul sighed, taking Terry’s hand. “Dance with an equal number of boys and girls. You _are_ bi, right? It shouldn’t matter” Terry still seemed dumbfounded. “This is unusual for you” Ghoul hummed to the song as he pulled a willing Terry into a close dance. “Not really, not at all. I generally act this way with my romantic relationships. Just not with you” But tonight he didn’t have to be careful. Not with the mask and Terminal as his security. 

~*~

After the dance, and a few more throughout the night, Ghoul walked around, chatted with a few people who he didn’t know (which made them safe, really. He wasn’t the only fox mask, or the only long haired blond in a suit. So nobody could say who he was beyond general indistinct characteristics) and ate some of the provided food. He watched Terry dance with other people, an equal number of men and women, just as he suggested. It was hard, that was _his_ loved one they were dancing with. That the kids Terry’s age thought they had a chance with. Every now and then he’d glance at the clock. 

Eventually Ghoul maneuvered himself to a resting Terry, not quite bumping elbows but close. He counted softly under his breath “three, two, one…” the electricity cut out and there were screams and noises of confusion. Ghoul grabbed Terry’s arm. “What the-” “Relax, it’s me” Ghoul whispered, before pulling Terry away from the crowd. He knew this area; had to case it once because Joker had pondered blowing it up and Ghoul needed to find the best place to hide a bomb. Thank goodness Joker had decided not to. 

Ghoul led a stumbling Terry to a mostly hidden area away from the rest of the crowd and pushed him gently against the wall. He had about maybe twenty minutes, ten for the lights, five for people to notice Terry was gone, and five more for people to find them. This seemed like more than enough time. “I won’t be able to get away with this any other time” He warned Terry, who had by this time figured it out, bless him. All the Waynes were smart. Terry’s breath hitched as Ghoul trailed a hand down his throat and body as he slid to his knees. The kid was already hard, and Ghoul chuckled, close enough to send vibrations through the hard-on. Another gasp and the clicking sound of a dry throat swallowing. Ghoul undid the zip and pulled Terry out.

He was a good sized length, which Ghoul teased for a few moments with his thumb, getting the feel of the size before he began teasing Terry with fleeting kisses and quick licks. Terry had one hand over his mouth and the other fisted in Ghoul’s hair. When the blond tasted precum pooling at the tip, he let Terry into his mouth, closing his eyes and relaxing his gag reflex as he took the kid in. He had to put a hand against Terry’s hip so he wouldn’t buck into his mouth. 

Ghoul sucked and tasted, swirling his tongue across the sensitive underside and listening to Terry’s muffled sounds. This was perfect. He bobbed, doing his best to not give into temptation and draw things out, but to finish as quickly as possible. Moaning and causing vibrations certainly helped. Terry finished with time to spare and Ghoul managed to swallow most if not all of it. He gave the now soft length a quick lick to get the last of the cum before putting everything back in its place. He got up and hugged Terry quickly, laughing softly. “Looks like someone needs to go to bed” Terry shoved at him but Ghoul was already gone. He’d left a present on the table already. There was currently no reason not to believe that Terry was simply tired from the party. He’d made sure of that.

He did owe Terminal big time though. That was the only downside to an otherwise enjoyable night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol, just a little taste for them both. and I would like to say that until Terry is eighteen and legal, there will be no more of this. please understand I enjoy writing slow burn for these two :) if you want fast-paced smut, prepare for the next chapter of this fic's sequel. lol


	25. Fireworks Everywhere!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's the fourth of July!

**TUESDAY**

Terry was reeling after the graduation incident, and he couldn't even explain why. He'd gotten exactly what he'd ask for, which was amazing in and of itself, but the 180 of personality with Ghoul was sexy as all hell and had him waking up Saturday and Sunday gasping, fingers fisting the front of his pants as he shivered in a cold sweat. Yes, he'd gotten the impression that there was more to Ghoul than what he'd been showing. The judo flip and the threats to stab Terry in the beginning of this affair were good indicators, but Terry had never been on the positive receiving end of Ghoul's actual personality before.

It was the realization that Ghoul no longer viewed Terry as the child he had seemed to for the past several months that affected him, and the notion that the gray eyes had been full of love at the dance. The eyes made him over the moon happy, though he knew it was probably in his head. Ghoul was just giving him what he wanted because they were halfway to the goal. After the goal, there was still a good chance that they'd part ways. Somehow this idea didn't really bother Terry at all. Not when he was still so happy with the party.

“Yo, earth to Terry!” Terry jumped and looked reproachfully at Jason, who was smirking. “Yea, you're welcome to make apple sauce, just not with your fist and not when you're standing on Alfred's favorite ornamental rug. Believe me, juice is a beast to get out of it” Terry didn't even bother asking how Jason knew that. Jason leaned against the wall as Terry took a bite out of his apple. “So, you started dreaming about sex with him yet?” Of course he'd choose the exact moment Terry decided to swallow to ask that. The young man choked, face beet red as Jason laughed. “Oh my god. You _have!_ is it you on top or is it him?” 

Terry covered his mouth, pushing the apple mush into his hand because it wasn't worth trying to eat it with Jason right there laughing and making fun of him. Terry couldn't even look at him as it was. “Jeezus you and your dad and Damian. I mean come _on_! I....ah...” Terry looked up at Jason, who had the oddest mix of frozen mirth and growing fear, staring over Terry's shoulder. Terry too looked over his shoulder. There was a very amused and ticked off looking Stephanie standing there, her blond hair draped over one shoulder as she tapped her foot. 

“You what, Todd? Don't sleep around? If I remember correctly, you are the biggest slut in the family” She leaned in over Terry, her face feigning a freaky sort of angry innocence. “Or did you forget your model friends? Because _I_ sure haven't forgotten kicking those bitches out of the manor!” Jason snorted and looked away. “Why should I listen to anything a brother fucker has to say?” Terry was thrown against a hall table as Stephanie launched herself at Jason, the man himself having an 'oh, shit' look on his face. 

Terry got out of there before the two had a chance to spill blood. Stephanie wasn't technically one of the adopteds, being only a ward of Bruce Wayne, but the fact was often overlooked, and her relationship with Tim was often a source of ridicule and thus a very sensitive subject. Terry never really understood the tension between the two anyway. 

~*~

The thermostat had read 76 degrees when he'd gotten out of the manor when Terry had paused to look, and no wonder. It was July, the summer heat had finally arrived. During the day it was so hot you could fry an egg in the shade. Mornings were cooler but still really warm. Which Terry was cursing when he saw the cause for his morning embarrassment and the most beautiful French-American he had the pleasure of secretly dating. Ghoul was in a tank top that hugged his narrow torso and black skinny jeans. His long hair was in a pony, but a few strands that had escaped the band were clinging to his temples and forehead, which shone with sweat.

Terry groaned and covered his face with his hands, moaning unhappily because it was just too much. Not after Friday. Maybe it would have been okay in a few weeks, but not today. He heard Ghoul laugh and the next thing he knew the blond was hugging him, which caused Terry's hands to be pinned over his eyes. Ghoul kissed the top of his forehead. “Sometimes you can be the horniest boy I know, and then you're like this, a shy Catholic school boy who's never seen porn before” Terry managed to part the hands from his eyes far enough to give the slightly taller man a look. “That's...oddly specific” Ghoul laughed. “I went to Catholic private school. It didn't last long, I corrupted about half of the student population-on purpose, I might add” Terry smiled. Yea, he could see it.

Ghoul released Terry and they went to the car together. The paper route was uneventful, though Ghoul told Terry the shriek was Nash, because he'd been peeping and Ghoul had leered at him, making the slitting the throat pantomime. Terry laughed so hard that tears popped into his eyes. “You are the most amazing guy I know” Ghoul had just grinned at him. “Mmm, I know. Or you wouldn't still be here” wasn't that the truth. Terry was infamous for his big heart, but he did recall several girls he'd simply walked away from over the course of the many break-ups between him and Dana, simply because he'd lost interest.

~*~

It ended without any problems and Terry moved over to Ghoul for a make out session. Ghoul didn't object this time and welcomed Terry with open arms. The kissing escalated quickly though, because Terry had less control from the party and he wanted and needed Ghoul _right now_. It didn't take long for Ghoul to squirm a bit under Terry's ministrations, the hungry kissing on his neck and the gentle nips at his ear. Ghoul couldn't really push him back though and moved his head when Terry moved in to kiss him again. 

“Terry, Terry please” He was breathless and it was a bigger turn on, but Terry moved back and studied Ghoul, his mind seriously considering just continuing despite the dissent, but Ghoul looked terrified, pinned as he was under Terry and that sort of woke the Wayne up. He grinned and released Ghoul, moving in and nuzzling his neck. “Had ya going there, didn't I?” He was whacked lightly across the back. “That wasn't funny Terry” But Ghoul sounded fine again, relieved and maybe amused.

Right then and there Terry decided to be as careful as Ghoul had been. Hurting him might feel good at the moment, but Terry would lose Ghoul, and that idea made him cold inside.

**FRIDAY**

It was the fourth of July. It was blisteringly hot, there was going to be a clam bake, and Terry wanted nothing more than to see the fireworks with Ghoul. He didn't care if he skipped the clam bake, Bruce had actually told him it would be fine, all Terry wanted to do was spend the night doing what Ghoul wanted to do for the Fourth. He'd be happy sorting spoons if Ghoul wanted to do that. Bored, but happy. 

Ghoul was amused at the puppy like excitement from Terry, obviously, but Terry couldn't help it. The Fourth was one of his favorite holidays and he had only good memories for it. Spending it with his favorite people was what he looked forward to every year. So the suggestion to walk along one of the beaches, where there'd be a little festival and tons of food and fireworks booths with Ghoul and Matt and Baskervilles was actually the best suggestion he'd heard. 

There was no spying on them by Nash that morning and the route went without a hitch. A quick kiss because there'd maybe be more of that later that night, and Terry was out of the car to catch a couple more hours of sleep, and telling Matt (who didn't want to go to the clam bake because everyone kept pinching his cheeks) the good news before getting ready for the night.

Everyone was rushing around getting ready for the clam bake, except Terry Matt and, surprisingly, Dick. When he was confronted about it he'd shrugged. “I spend it with Shaggy, Crystal and Babs every year. We go to Grundy's Lake with a thing of chicken. Great view from there, y'see” Terry'd smiled. 

Matt was extremely excited, not having to wear a nice t-shirt and dress shorts on the Fourth of July. He grabbed his ratty black and yellow striped shirt and happily paraded around in it with his half-grown dog clumsily bounding beside him. Terry himself wore his usual black t-shirt and jeans. They got looks of envy from Jason, who actually was no longer allowed to wriggle out of family functions, and the girls, because Kitty was like Jason, and while Stephanie hated the functions, she went to support Tim, who adored them.

~*~

“Matt, stop sticking your tongue out at Jason or he will cut it off” Terry told his brother, as he ushered the kid out of the door, trying to make him stop twisting around to antagonize a very pissed off looking Jason Todd. Though the idea of waking up without a tongue subdued the 12 year old and he let his brother push him out the door to where Ghoul was waiting on the drive. Ghoul himself was wearing an unbuttoned orange t-shirt and black skinny jeans. Terry very much appreciated it, though it would be harder to keep to his promise to himself to be careful when he had to look at the bare chest and stomach he adored. 

The beach they went to was getting crowded already and Matt looked around happily. “I haven't been to one of these since mom died!” Terry smiled fondly at his little brother, though he was a little sad. “Yea, I know” Matt snickered. “Can you see Daddy Wayne in shorts walking around at one of these? Eating noodles at a stand or trying to win a rigged game” Terry joined him in the laughter at the image that popped into his head. “Maybe we should try to make him come to one sometime, just to see it” That would be one of the most surreal things, if it happened. 

They stuck around the game booths and small business booths, mostly jewelry and clothes and this weapons booth that was right across from a hippie commune booth (the greatest irony Terry had ever seen, especially with the people at the booth shooting glares at each other), from which he got Matt his first pocket knife. Ghoul bought himself a new switchblade there as well before going to the hippie commune booth and buying a tye-dyed poncho to show there were no hard feelings. As the sun went down Terry managed to win two prizes, a pink and pissed off rabbit with a blue bow that Matt immediately claimed with the excuse that he was going to give it to Baskervilles as a chew toy. The second prize was a panda plush that doubled as a speaker, and this Ghoul got. 

The blond smiled a little at the gift, though he didn't reward Terry with a kiss as they were in public. “You are quite the gentleman, mon amie. Later, I'll win you something too” Terry grinned. “Thank you, mon amie” 'my friend' was currently the only thing he knew how to say in French besides 'where are the bathrooms'. Ghoul looked very shocked, and very very touched. But they were in public so all he gave Terry was a big grin and a “So you do care!” Terry laughed at him, understanding what Ghoul meant. 

Ghoul did win something for Terry right before they moved on to the food area. It was at the throwing of course. Hitting twenty moving chickens for the Ultimate Prize, which turned out to be a huge blue grinning monkey almost as big as Terry. They moved the prizes and bought items to the car before returning to the event, Terry risking a quick kiss on the cheek in the semi-dark of the car before they returned.

The food was delicious, Terry Matt and Ghoul gravitating more towards the selection of Oriental food than the American fare, though Terry was quite partial to this flaky German pastry with an almond center that he didn't know the name for, and Ghoul went for the Macaroons. Matt only wanted gingersnap cookies and the selections were put in bags from the different booths to be eaten later when the oriental food was eaten. 

Matt was done with his so quickly Terry knew that he'd get a stomach ache later in the night while he and Ghoul followed after, much more slowly. Terry ate his noodles while looking around at the bright lights and happy people as Ghoul ate his teriyaki chicken and dumplings on the stick. They didn't need to hold hands, Terry felt the amicable atmosphere and the almost electricity from just walking beside Ghoul better than fine. It was different than Dina, but it didn't matter. It was nice anyway. 

Terry noticed Vic Sage at one of the booths, a hamburger joint, with a guy Terry vaguely recognized, a big guy with slightly curly black hair and big glasses. There was a beautiful woman beside him, but the big guy was focusing on Vic, who paused to look over at Terry and wave. Terry turned away from him and his friends to look over at Ghoul, who had teriyaki on his face. It was so weird because Terry knew Ghoul to be an obsessively clean eater, and the shock made him laugh hard. He then handed Ghoul a water bottle and a napkin and directed the embarrassed blond where to clean his face. 

~*~

It was on a dock where Matt was sitting with Baskervilles curled up and snoozing behind him that Ghoul and Terry watched the fireworks together. Or rather, Ghoul watched the fireworks and Terry watched the colors play over the gaunt face of his boyfriend. Bony fingers laced their hands together as Ghoul continued to stare at the fireworks. 

“I love you Terry”

if it wasn't for all the cheering people not to far away from them, and Matt at their feet, Terry would have kissed him then and there, and then held him and never let go. As it was, he just laughed and turned his face to the bright lights that were the fireworks. He'd never, ever had a bad Fourth of July, and his love for it had just tripled.


	26. A Matter of Trust and Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghoul is sick from sunburns and Terry finally encounters Terminal

**TUESDAY**

Ghoul was not in his car that morning. Instead, it was the person Terry had been dreading finding out for sure that Ghoul knew. Of course, Carter Wilson looked pretty different from when Terry had known him in high school. Gone was the conservative, if retro, clothing. Relaced with tighter, more revealing clothes and chains and belts. His hair was quite a bit longer too, though still his natural hair color. His skin was also much paler from the healthy tan he used to be-the sick white color of clotted cream. Although Terry wasn't really thinking about that initially. What he was thinking was how nice it'd be to see how tightly he'd have to squeeze his hands around Carter's neck to touch his knuckles together. 

Which was what he tried to see when he pulled Carter out of the car. Of course, taking notice of the prominent muscles would have been a very good idea to do. Carter fought off Terry and pushed him away, yelling something Terry couldn't make out over the rushing in his ears. This guy was responsible for Max's coma, for her not graduating, not going to college, not getting away from her shitty home-life and going to live with her sister and for once not having her own happiness sacrificed to make ends meet and keep smiles on the faces of those around her. 

It was all Carter's fault that Max was in a lonely hospital room and Terry wanted him to _pay for it_. Every bruise she'd been given, every cut and broken bone. Max had the equivalent amount of wounds for getting hit by a car when she'd been brought to the hospital and by god did Terry intend for Carter to have the same treatment by the time he was done.

However, the rage that fueled Terry also made him clumsy. Carter's face would probably look disgustingly black and blue and swollen for a week or so, and his neck looked like the back of a cow with the mottled purple marks already showing up on the cream-pale skin. But it wasn't good enough. He wasn't hurt, he wasn't _suffering_! But Terry was stuck with his arm wrenched behind his back and pressed against the car, his breath coming out in soft, frustrated screams until he was forced to calm down and realize that Carter was talking to him-had been talking to him- and it was about Ghoul so he needed to listen.

"-And he's really sick, dumbass so stop trying to kill me and let's get this fucking route done with so I don't have to hear him mumbling for you every five seconds"

"...He's mumbling for me?"

Carter shoved Terry harder against the car before releasing him while cursing loudly. "Just get in the damn car already McGinnis" Terry did, though he didn't stop scowling at Carter throughout the route. The usually quieter man (even in high school he'd tried to save his words for when they'd have the most impact) was quick to try and haltingly fill in the murdurous silence with one-sided conversation. He explained that this used to be his route, which he'd given to Ghoul when the guy was looking for a 'legitimate, legal job' because he hadn't needed it anymore. Terry had given him such a look Carter had lapsed into silence again.

"You know, most people thought you were in love with Nash" Carter did a double take at that and did a disbelieving little laugh. "Wait, really? People thought I was in love with your co-captain. I mean we were friends but..." Terry rolled his eyes. "Of all the routes you take, you choose the one with his apartment on it? And you don't like him. Okay" Terry glanced up at the disbelieving "He _lives_ on this route? Really?" It'd have been hilarious if Terry didn't hate both of them so much.

After that Carter was far quieter, though there were a couple other attempts to ease the tension. Not that Terry wanted to hear any of it. It was vile and disgusting and made worse by the fact that Carter was acting how he used to at school, not how he acted when Terry attacked him. Finally the torture of the route ended (though Terry did spare a laugh during it for the comically timid "which apartment does Nelson live in, exactly?" because it was hilarious and pathetic and much too funny coming from such a purported straight bad-ass)

They took a different route than Terry remembered to Ghoul's apartment, which had him gripping the door-handle just in case he had to jump out of the moving car. He wouldn't put it past Carter to try and kill him. He got an inkling of why they'd go a different route when he saw several police cars speed past them, and caught Carter smirking rather darkly. Terry held onto the door-handle a bit tighter and decided that he was going to learn how to drive, simply so that he'd never have to be driven by the psycho demon that was Carter ever again. 

Terry let out a long breath he didn't know he'd been holding when they arrived safely at the apartment building. It couldn't be said he launched himself out of the car, but he certainly didn't take his time either. "I'm going to take you back to the manor on my bike. It's faster" Terry grimaced. "No, I'll take a taxi, thanks" Carter snorted and slung an arm over Terry's shoulders. "Not tonight McGinnis, I'm going to insist on you riding with me. Just take it as a free piece of advice, yea?" that was rather chilling and ominous. Terry shrugged off the arm around his shoulders and gave Carter a dirty look before going quickly up the stairs to Ghoul's apartment.

Unfortunately it was locked. He really should have anticipated this, seeing as this was an apartment building and all. "You're friends with Ghoul, right?" Terry turned to see a blond girl leaning against the wall. He nodded, feeling suddenly like the protagonist in a horror video game, meeting the Mysterious Little Girl in front of a locked room while his love interest was in some predicament, with a psycho coming up behind him. Yea, not shaping up to a good morning. He'd never agree to watch horror game play throughs with Matt again, they were playing with his head. 

The girl gave him a large smile. "You don't look crazy enough to be one of the Jokerz, so you're probably his special friend. I'm Ro, I house-watch his apartment sometimes" Terry smiled back at her, still feeling like something straight up supernaturally evil was going to happen at any moment. "Hey Ro, do you have an extra key? My uh...my...the guy that's come with me and will be here in a few moments, said Ghoul wasn't feeling too well" Ro made a face. "Terminal. I saw him leave a while ago to do the paper route and I guess to also get you. Yea, I've got a spare key. Probably good thing too, because Terminal is notorious for losing things from his pockets" she gave him an eyebrow waggle that gave him more of an idea what she meant better than if she'd simply explained, and he wished she had. Because any ideas on Carter's(Terminal now though, apparently. And if that just wasn't another reason to hate him Terry didn't know what was) sex life and problems with losing the protection wasn't something he'd wanted to think about, and something he was pretty sure a preteen or mid-teen like Ro had no business knowing in the first place.

She pulled the key from her back-pocket and began unlocking the door as Carter/Terminal came up the stairs. "Ro, what the living fuck? I was going to" Ro rolled her eyes at him as she pushed the door open for Terry. "Dude, you've lost your wallet from those pockets and _he_ ," here she gestured at Terry, who couldn't get into the apartment because she was blocking the way, "Seems really anxious to get to Ghoul-" Terry nodded. "I am, actually. So if you could, Ro, please..." she jumped out of the way and Terry rushed inside, not really that eager to be witness to a massive fight in the hall.

"Ghoul?" "Yo" the muffled reply came from the sofa area and Terry turned to the sound, finding a bright red shirtless Ghoul sprawled horizontally on his sofa with a washcloth over his eyes. "Oh Ghoul, you...well I guess you could look worse" Ghoul laughed, then groaned. "Terry, don't make me laugh! It hurts to laugh right now. Or do anything really, as anything not covered by cotton or jeans or shoes got burned and it really _hurts_ " Terry winced at that and went to sit beside Ghoul, gingerly sitting between the knives and the iced tea on the coffee table. "Sorry for taking you on the Fourth" Ghoul turned his covered face and gingerly lifted up a piece of the washcloth, eying Terry with one tired and gentle grey eye. "Why? It was fun. _We_ were dumb for forgetting sunscreen. Your ears are as red as I am" which was true, but Terry felt bad for just getting his ears burned, while Ghoul looked like someone had decided to see if humans could be boiled like lobsters. 

Ghoul placed the washcloth back over his eyes and took Terry's hand, seemingly settling down to rest some more. Terry wondered if it had been his confession which made him more relaxed, or just exhaustion that did it. Personally, Terry hoped it was the confession. "Ghoul, have you finished the iced tea yet?" and just like that, the peaceful mood was ruined by Carter. Ghoul sighed. "No, nurse Fusspot. And if that nasty shit you call Gatorade is still my only reward, I'm never finishing the tea!" Terry tried valiantly not to snicker. He only partly succeeded as Carter stalked into the room, pissed off. 

"Doc Leslie said you needed electrolytes and vitamin D Ghoul. Gatorade has electrolytes and I will tie you up and pour it down your uppity little throat if you don't be a good 25 year old man baby and drink the tea and the Gatorade!" Terry did not like the exasperated snarl and began getting up, but thought better of it as Ghoul's hand tightened around his. Instead, Terry sneered at Carter. "You'd better get some ice on your face, Carter. Or I think I really will have to take a taxi home because you won't be able to see out of either eye" Carter glared at him before deciding to take the advice.

"I should have told you I knew him earlier" the resigned sigh made Terry look back at Ghoul and he swallowed any cutting remarks. "It would have been appreciated" He finally muttered. He was hurt that Ghoul hadn't told him, and angry but he wasn't sure with whom. "If you keep stuff like this from me, how am I supposed to trust you? First you don't bother mentioning that you knew Damian, then it turns out you're...you know. Now you know Carter and...you know why I don't like him, right?" Obviously since he knew that Terry would have liked to know about him earlier. 

"I'm not going to defend Term, er, _Carter_ , Terry, but could you, for me, try not to pull his head off for the maybe next week? I promise I'm going to trust you more and tell you things, but _please_ don't kill him" it sounded like Ghoul was defending Carter and Terry scowled, removing his had from Ghoul's. "If you're not feeling well enough to do the route on Friday, I'm going to stay home. I do it to see you, not put up with him" He felt angry and guilty but he wasn't going to back down. Ghoul was silent for a good while before nodding once. "We'll discuss this later, I guess" Terry nodded and leaned over, kissing Ghoul's forehead. They were definitely talking about this later. 

Carter grabbed Terry a couple minutes later and pulled him out of the apartment as the blond girl from the care place Terry had visited Ghoul in, the one who'd shown Terry where Ghoul was, Saiko or Candi or something, walked into the apartment. She waved at Terry, who smiled back before Carter pulled him away and down the stairs. "I'm not riding bitch" He said, maybe a little childishly. Carter glanced back at him, frowning. "Riding in front of me is illegal, McGinnis" they were on the ground floor then and Terry crossed his arm, feeling foolish but not wanting to back down. "I don't care"

Carter's jaw set and he grabbed Terry, pulling him around so that Terry's back was flush against his chest, his hand grabbing Terry's upper thigh to pull him closer, the free hand keeping Terry still by gripping his chest. "You sure it wasn't _you_ who liked _me_ , captain? Because this is how we'd be riding all the way home, with your hands either gripping the seat behind our bodies, or my ass" Terry tried to struggle but he was caught and felt very stupid, knowing Carter was right. "Let me go!" He hissed, which made Carter hold him more tightly. "How intimate do you really want to get? That desperate to make Ghoul jealous?" His breath was hot and unwelcome in Terry's ear, but thankfully he let go after that, with Terry feel utter loathing for himself and Carter. 

The ride to the manor was uneventful with Terry gingerly putting his arms around Carter and hating every moment of it, and Carter seemingly taking too much pleasure in riding dangerously with Terry as his passenger. Because he was on bike, Carter was able to drive directly through the gates and deposited Terry at his doorstep, the younger man glaring at him hatefully before he stormed into the manor as Carter drove off. "May I ask who was the guy on the bike?" Terry turned his hateful gaze on Damian, who actually began looking concerned. "Nobody. Just an asshole" He stormed to his room.

**FRIDAY**

Terry's bad mood had mostly vanished by the time Friday rolled around, and it was replaced by guilt. Carter had been deemed a ward of the state after investigations had shown he'd been pretty much forced to attempt to kill Max by his fame-driven mother. But Terry hadn't known that on Tuesday. He'd found out when he decided to look up details in a rage-induced obsessive mood. Yes, he was still really angry at Carter, but now he understood why it had happened. 

Ghoul gave him a text saying that **'Stupid me, not drinking the stupid Gatorade. I know you're mad, but can you come on Monday to spend my b-day with me, I'd like that'** it made Terry smile a little and he responded that he didn't know what better way to spend Monday. Then he could formally apologize, but they needed to talk about Carter later. A birthday was not the time to discuss such things, but it needed to be talked over.


	27. Bon Anniversaire et Moi (Happy Birthday to Me)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Ghoul's birthday and there is cuteness. Also, everything is going right for once

**MONDAY**

 

"In retrospect, maybe giving Terry a heartattack with Woof would have been better than sending his best friend's would-be murderer to pick him up" J-man, to Ghoul's annoyance, was right. When he wasn't getting freaky (in more ways than simply sexual) with Delia, J-Man usually bummed at different Jokerz places, being surprisingly lucid. Monday morning he was being obstinate and refusing to get out of Ghoul's apartment despite threats of demasculation. Instead, he was wandering around telling the blond goth something he already knew, and generally being an annoying and stupid prick. “Yes, I _know_ having Terminal do the route and get Terry was a bad idea! But who else knows the route? Or has a legal driver’s license? If I remember JJ, yours was snagged a month ago for endangerment of pedestrians and almost crashing into a Dairy Queen”

 

J-Man snorted. “They didn’t mention painting the car with cow blood. My clever idea and they don’t even send me to a psyche test or whatever. Tragic missed opportunity” Ghoul shook his head as he peeled a long piece of dead skin off his arm, looking at it with interest before he rolled it between his palms and tossed it into the garbage can. It was widely known that J-Man was trying to prove he was as insane as his girlfriend, and now with the evil Dee-Dee showing less interest in a relationship (minutely less, but sex could only last so long-Ghoul was giving it maybe a year, year and a half tops) and more interest in simply being crazy, J-Man was growing desprate to prove to her that he was just as nuts as she was, and therefore worthy of her love and attention. Ghoul pitied both him and Terminal, for being so wrapped around the fingers of two crazy girls and not even realizing just how much they were dependent on them. “JJ, that was smeared on with wads of meat from the supermarket and we both know it. And let’s be honest, the cops see weirder shit every day. I mean, you were topped by Creeper in yellow paint and bright red underoos, and that’s _normal_ for Gotham”

 

The other slumped and gave Ghoul a pitiful look. “She’s going to leave me, isn’t she” Ghoul kept his face carefully blank and shrugged. He hated dealing with a lucid, not blood-crazy or horny J-Man. He was actually pretty perceptive. “Right now what you’ve got going for you is your love of gore, cross-dressing and extreme kinks. The most I can say is that that should tide her over for a while, and maybe it’ll last till she gets back to normal” J-Man brightened more than he should have and Ghoul felt bad for giving him hope. 

 

“Hey Ghoul, happy birthday” the blond cringed and glared back at J-Man. “What did I tell you about reading my text messages?” He didn’t give out his birthday to pretty much anyone and J-Man had no sense of privacy. The green-haired man paled. “You said you’d demasculate me with a rusty butter knife” Ghoul smirked and went toward one of his cupboards. “But I think I can forgive you if you get out of my apartment _right now_ ” He hadn’t finished getting his cup out before he heard the slamming of his door. The blond relaxed and sighed in relief. There was only so much of J-Man he could stand.

 

~*~

Terry was...wary at best. Which was totally understandable. The whole thing with Terminal had to have come as a shock. Or, if not a shock, a nasty confirmation. It was terrible, but it happened. Although Ghoul took it as a good sign when Terry gave a surprised laugh at the peeling skin on Ghoul’s arms and face. Ghoul managed to smile back at him because he knew he looked funny, and laughing at his peeling sunburn rather than argue about the issue that was Terminal, though Ghoul privately felt sorry for the guy. While you could blame quite a bit of Terminal’s woes on his own actions, there were several things that were out of his control. The Dee Dee problem was most certainly not a result of Terminal being an idiot. 

 

“Next time, we keep you out of the sun more” Terry carefully held Ghoul’s chin and rubbed at one of the flakier areas on his cheek. _Next time_. Those two words were the best gift on Ghoul’s birthday. Because ‘next time’ meant that he hadn’t screwed up so royally that Terry was ready to call the whole relationship off. “Terry, I’m not a vampire” He smiled and batted the hands away, scratching at his face. Terry smirked. “Oh well thank god. That means that the garlic and holy water Tim put on my window would be useless” Ghoul rolled his eyes. “Right, but his security system will still work against me. You’ve got to be a gymnast to get through undetected”

 

Carefully off the subject of the last week, this was good. Neither of them wanted to argue. Which was fine by Ghoul. All he wanted was a calm day. A calm, no fighting, stay at home day. Because Lord only knew what sort of shit would happen if he dared set one foot out of his apartment looking the way he did with Terry. And with this, he could just relax. And it helped he had threatened everyone with their lives and never being found again in event of death if they so much as dared set toe near his apartment for the time that Terry was there. 

 

He moved towards his kitchen and motioned for Terry to go to the living room. “Movies in the cabinet the T.V. is on. Before you comment, yes. I got a new one. Not new or fancy, but it has color and the audio mostly works so...” He smiled at the laughter from the living room. “Sounds like when I lived with mom. Matt hit the T.V. with a football and we don’t know what happened, but the right speaker in it never worked quite right after”p Ghoul chuckled. He could see the exuberent young Wayne doing something like that. “So, how long was he grounded?” more laughter. “She literally did a screening everytime he went into the living room from then on. If he had so much as a bouncy ball he wasn’t allowed into the area" Ghoul shook his head, grinning at the image. He had never met Terry’s mother, but the way she was spoken of so fondly, and how she was remembered as someone obviously respected as well as loved, Ghoul was pretty sure he would have loved the woman. She seemed like one of the rare people with the power to make even Joker behave. 

 

“Hey, where are the horror movies?” Ghoul winced and sighed as he finished setting his table for take-out food. Indian, his personal favorite, and since apparently (according to the Deeds and Terminal and J-Man when J-Man actually talked about his parents) you got to eat your favorite foods on your birthday as well as cake (the French financier, a light almond cake with a glaze. He knew a little patissierie that always made the best cakes for the holidays he celebrated, and they were happy to oblige with his favorite orange cream glaze on top) He didn’t really celebrate his birthday, especially not in the American sense, or had ever wanted to, but this was more for Terry than anything. Ghoul had had a feeling that if he didn’t celebrate it with Terry, or at least make some mention of it, he’d hurt Terry’s feelings more than anything. 

 

Besides, an excuse to spend more time with Terry was always welcomed. 

 

“I don’t really like horror movies” he called, and actually heard the snort of disbelief. “But your _name_ is a horror story creature!” Ghoul sighed. He actually got this one a lot. “I like the mythology of ghouls, and that they appear in 1001 Arabian Nights. Not that that isn’t horrifying, but the story they do appear in is humorous” After a man boinks a beautiful woman he is whisked away by a demon to a graveyard, with his dick still half out of his pants. Or, it was that graphic in the version he had read, and it had sent him into a laughing fit. Talk about whiplash. Not the reason he had named himself ‘Ghoul’, but it certainly had gotten him to notice the creatures. 

 

Terry walked into the kitchen with a movie in his hand, half-smiling. “Alright. Fair enough. What inspired you to name yourself after one then?” Ghoul chuckled. “Ghouls are shape-shifters. You can see the appeal” Terry’s mouth rounded into an ‘O’ of understanding. Nothing more needed to be said. Ghoul stretched and gestured at the table. “Food’s ready, and then movie, then cake? I think the order works for this. Love in all things simple, mm?” Terry held up a finger. “Let me put the movie in, and then we can sit down” Ghoul smiled, and then realized that he hadn’t actually seen the title. Some of those movies were relics of when he was a more angsty man, when “poser” could be placed in front of “goth”. 

 

This...might prove interesting.

 

Dinner was uneventful save for Terry knocking his feet into Ghoul’s and giggling like a small child. Ghoul knocked back a bit, smiling at how juvanile-middle-school this felt. Very innocent. It was cute. “I’m kind of surprised that you aren’t making a face at what we’re eating” Terry shrugged. “My...well, I was raised by a man descended from Scotsmen. Haggish kind of beats this in terms of...everything for me” Ghoul raised an eyebrow but just shrugged. “Makes sense”

 

 

~*~

 

The movie that Terry had chosen was a Disney movie, which kind of made sense as Ghoul’s movie collection consisted of French movies his mother had managed to show him behind his father’s back, a few “artistic” movies that were really trippy and arguably dark (in a weird, bad acid trip is killing you sort of way) that he had aqcuired while a very angry “dark” teenager but were too nostalgic for Ghoul to actually bear giving up, it was sort of like a masochistic sense of laughing at the follies of your younger self. He had bought the DVD’s of Disney more or less on a drunken whim, and then barely watched them. He kept meaning to, but just never got around to it. 

 

The one Terry had chosen was _Beauty and the Beast_ , which caused Ghoul to snort a little. He had never seen the point of the actual story; it was a woman falling into bestiality through Stockholme Syndrome after being forced to go to the castle because said beast was threatening her family. Fairytale logic could go die, it was creepy when you got down to the bare bones. Though, this was probably part of the reason some Grimm’s Fairytales appealed to him so much. Not so much scary as delivering some hard truths. Most of the characters got out alright, even if some of them would be scarred for life by the experiences by the end of the story. Snow White had turned into a pretty vindictive woman, forcing her stepmother to come to her wedding and then having her dance in red-hot iron shoes until the woman died. Yeowch. 

 

It was around the time that Lumiere was singing “Be our Guest” when Terry started talking, which was a good thing because Ghoul personally hated the song. “D’you mind telling me about your past...you know...now?” Ghoul sighed softly and shifted Terry around a little, as over time they’d gone into just laying on the couch with Terry on top of him, head on his chest. Ghoul ran a hand through Terry’s hair before talking. “I did say I would. When I left my family, I slept around. A _lot_. This would be before I joined the Jokerz as well, mind you. Being from such a strict household, I kind of went nuts for a few years. Some of them became flings and off again on again types, and then I met Bonk and the Dee Dees. They were like...nine? ten? just little kids. Bonk was around my age. I would love to say it was a good time dating him, and I would love to say I hated him. It was complicated”

 

That was putting it mildly. There was slamming doors and screaming and crying and death-threats on each other and a whole lot of other insanity that Ghoul had known was bad, horrible, but Bonk had been magnetizing, somehow. Which was odd because he hadn’t been that good looking. But there had been something that Ghoul just couldn’t stay away from. Even now, Bonk was someone he’d go back to, if he could. 

 

Terry cupped his cheek with one hand and Ghoul moved his head to kiss the boy’s palm. “But Bonk was a ladder-climber and joined up with another guy we knew, Chucko, and tried to kill Joker himself” Terry gave a low whistle as on screen Belle dashed out of the Forbidden Wing. Ghoul nodded and sighed again. “They died. Joker killed them both in front of all the Jokerz as an example of why crossing him is a bad idea” Ghoul closed his eyes for a moment, seeing Chucko and Bonk dying, screaming for mercy. It still haunted him. “The only reason I didn’t die too was the Dee Dees. Joker will do anything for his little girls. Anyway, for about two years after that I slept around again, mostly with Jokerz members. I also sort of became ‘Den-Mom’ and ‘Nanny’ to most of the gang after Bonk died. Still am, I guess. I don’t really mind, it keeps one busy, and I can talk with Harley and keep her updated on how everyone is doing” he gave a small grin. He’d always respected the woman, having a small hero complex on her after their first meeting. Any chance to talk to her was taken advantage of.

 

“And then, like two years ago now, I guess, I met Melanie. She was more on the asexual spectrum though highly flirtatious and didn’t mind pleasuring others simply for their benefit. I didn’t mind. We had an understanding that while dating we didn’t flirt with anyone but each other, and were content to take it slow. But as you know by now, I have issues” he leered down at Terry, who smirked up at him. “And she had a rotten family life. Social risers with ties to the jewel-stealing business. Because I kept being Stewart Winthrop a secret, they hated me. But she was too obstinate to not go home every night and I did not push as hard as I should have. Anyway, I don’t know what happened but she was checked into Arkham for a lot of problems. I dunno if she did it herself or her family, but yea. Now her brother hates me and I have no idea if there was anything I could have even done”

 

Terry wrapped his arms around Ghoul and Ghoul draped his bony arms over Terry’s shoulders as they began watching the movie again. Beast was showing Belle the library. Ghoul smiled at that. Letting a girl like books and have a mind? This had been a pioneer for that in social media, he had to give the movie that. 

 

They watched the movie till the credits, with Terry singing along to the mob song and Ghoul finding that Terry had a semi-passable singing voice, but not one that Ghoul would ever want to listen to on a day to day basis. He loved the boy, but the singing he could do without. Not that he could really sing that much better, but still. Once the movie was over, they stayed on the couch for a bit longer, Ghoul dozing with Terry in his arms. He wasn’t sure if the kid was asleep either, but that sort of closeness wasn’t something he was particuarly familiar with, so it was nice. If he had more birthdays with Terry around, this was going to be how he wanted to celebrate them. There was cake to be cut and eaten, and Terry had made no secret of a present in any of their phone conversations (though there was no present in his hand when he had come in), and eventually Terry would have to leave. But for now napping on the couch, floating in what felt like a special moment out of time, was all Ghoul wanted.

 

Eventually Terry shifted out of his arms and sat up, Ghoul following suit and wiping his eyes to get the sleep grit out of them and remind his body that no, now was not yet the time for sleeping. They walked back to the kitchen together, Fingers entwined and Ghoul drooping a bit to rest his head on Terry’s shoulder, just for a minute. “Ainsi mon amour, tu me as fait très heureux . Merci” Terry glanced at him and smiled. “Je suis heureux d'entendre que” Ghoul froze and stood bolt upright, looking at Terry who was grinning impishly back at him. Sure, the pronounciation was terrible, and accent needed work but... “Was that the present? Please tell me that was your present” Before Terry could answer Ghoul kissed him, long and hard. Yes, he only spoke French when surpised, annoyed or really, really affectionate, but the fact that Terry was making an effort was just huge and meant more than pretty much anything else. Melanie hadn’t-and certainly not Bonk- made an effort to at least get an idea what he was saying. 

 

When they broke for air, Terry was grinning like a fool. “I’m guessing that it was good, right?” Ghoul chuckled and punched his arm lightly. “Your pronounciation is horrible and the accent needs work, but I understood what you were saying and the effort means a lot. So in a way it was better than good” Terry did look a bit embarrassed by the critique, but Ghoul’s affection was quick to convince him that yes, he had made a good choice. 

 

Compared to everything else, cake and clean-up was lightning fast. And then Terry was gone and Ghoul was alone. The blonde sat down with his back against the wall, knees drawn up to his chest as he covered his face with a hand and laughed. “I’m acting like a lovestruck teenager. Ah, c’est la vie!”

 

**FRIDAY**

 

Friday was good, the whole week had been. Actually, most Jokerz had avoided him because he was unnaturally happy and they were, with good reason from past experiences, leery of his joy as it usually meant there was something nasty waiting for them in their e-mail or computer or personal accounts, like their bank accounts. However, he was just happy that phone conversations were him helping Terry pronounce French properly, which was odd and would have gotten strange looks if he had tried to explain, but he had recently decided to stop trying to question what made him happy nowadays and just chalked it up to the fact that love was odd. 

 

Of course, that didn’t mean that he was snobbish towards the American half of his heritage. He did love it as much as the French side (though any chance to act refined and annoy the living hell out of all other Jokerz had more ore less put him in the habit of flaunting the French side a little more than was strictly normal, and Terry gaining an interest hadn’t exactly helped that) and while the language wasn’t as refined as the romantic languages, it somehow managed to pack more of a punch, maybe because it was just so blunt? In French there were 24 ways to say I love you. In English there was really only one.

 

And he couldn’t remember if Terry had said it. Or well, said it and _meant_ it. It was important now. This was no longer about whether or not _Ghoul_ felt this way by Terry’s birthday, and the fact that he cared this much kind of scared him. He knew Terry had a sort of protective puppy love, oh yea, he knew that. But actual love? No, no clue. And yea, they were almost there and...and Ghoul was worrying too much, though somehow the worries did nothing to dampen his happiness. It was like a bucket of ice water on a raging wildfire, it didn’t do a single ounce of good.

 

Friday, because Ghoul had told Terry via text to just stay in bed on Tuesday, was a good morning. Everything was going really, really well. J-Man had tracked down the asses who had blown up the warehouse and within a week they would probably be dead, Stewart Winthrop the First had had a complication in his treatment and wasn’t expected to last for too much longer, and he could see Terry. Plus, plans. He was making plans to have everything work out long term in his favor, whether or not he stayed with Terry. Life was going good and when the eighteen year old got into the car that morning, he seemed to agree as well. 

 

“Okay there pretty boy, I think you might break the chair if you keep bouncing in it” Ghoul finally chided Terry, laughing at his antics. Terry forced himself to calm down and put his hands together slowly, as though in prayer before breathing out and looking over at Ghoul. “I have entry exams for college in a little bit, but Shaggy said he’d let me be an intern in the Mystery Inc. Detective Agency to see if that’s the job I really want to be in. Velma, who also works there, and Dick have given their blessing too” Oh, right. Terry had mentioned interest in wanting to be a cop or detective. This was okay, it was a minor detail that could be worked around. He gave Terry a huge smile and offered a high-five since they were driving and a hug on the busiest street in town was just asking for death. 

 

“What does Mr. Wayne say on the matter?” Terry paused and shrugged, though he was still practically vibrating. “He’s fine with it I think. All he really said was to make sure my grades stay up during college since it’s harder than high school. And that he was fine with whatever I did because it’s my life” Ghoul supposed the only reason that Bruce could say that to his second biological son was the fact that there were so many other kids he had adopted, and all of them had done their own thing despite what he’d said. Except Damian which was hilarious and sad and ironic all at once. 

 

When they stopped for a house Ghoul did pause to kiss him. Just a quick peck on the lips really. It was congradulations for both of them for having things begin to smooth out and start to go their way. Of course, there was probably a waterfall on this calm river that they weren’t seeing, but for now it was smooth sailing and Ghoul was free to make his plans. And possibly help Terry with his homework and entry exams if the kid really needed them. Probably not, since for all his naivety Terry was pretty smart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> their conversation in French is 'my love you made me so happy today. thank you' 'I am really glad to hear that' and then Ghoul said 'such is life' when Terry left.


	28. Son of Joker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This ride is not going to get easier

**TUESDAY**

Ghoul was pacing on the rotting stage in front of the six bound and gagged guys in front of him, the Dee Dees, Woof and Weasel. They had all been told by Joker himself to come to the old stage theater that night. The theater itself being one of the “homes” of the Napier family. And when they had all gotten there, they found the six T-Gang members on centerstage. Ghoul had a fairly good idea that before they had seen the six each person had been secretly wanting to go back to wherever Joker had summoned them from, the Deeds from the candy factory the family was currently living in, Weasel getting checked out of Arkham by his boyfriend, Woof from wherever he and Saiko bummed at, and Ghoul from a night of reading on his couch and waiting for his annual morning drive. 

It wasn’t hard to figure out who these three were, or what Joker expected them to do with the three. Have a (it was a kangaroo court, there was no denying it and in all honesty Ghoul didn’t mind everyone being biased) trial on their innocence, Jokerz style. There was even a 'judge’ chair behind the line-up of T-Gang members. And fuck if Ghoul wasn’t actually excited for this. As nice as spending time with Terry was, and forgetting about the warehouse was, it was going to feel _so good_ venting his anger on something. Though like hell he would ever mention this to Terry. Everyone said that revenge wasn’t something that made a person feel better, but Ghoul was feeling better than he had in months just seeing the six on the stage and knowing they were at his mercy. 

“What I want to know is...is...well...um...why it took so long?” stuttered Weasel and Ghoul shrugged, one of his knives held loosely in a hand. “No secret JJ, Joker and Harley have been preoccupied with something. Even the deeds don’t know what it is, right girls?” he looked over at the identical twins, who nodded once at him before focusing again on the three on stage. Woof chuckled darkly and slid closer to one of them, who whimpered. Woof had stopped talking since the explosion, but Ghoul knew what he meant and the blond grinned, decked out in full zombie make-up and sporting a pilgrim’s hat while wearing a black and orange shirt with a grinning face, brown and torn pants ending just under the knee and soft boots with pointed toes. It was one of those ‘special occasion’ outfits he generally saved for causing mayhem on Halloween, but this certainly counted as a special occasion. And besides, he knew he looked scary like this, and he wanted to invoke as much fear as possible. The others evidentially felt the same way as well with the way each was dressed. 

 

“W-w-would you d-d-do the honors of c-cutting the...the tape o-on their...their....uh, their mouths Ghoul? You...have the um...knife and all” Ghoul smirked and went to the one on the far left, roughly cutting the tape apart and then savagely ripping it from the mouth, causing the man to cry out. He turned to the group as he stood by the T-Gang group and clapped his hands together. “Alright, let’s get this going. Who wants to be judge and who wants to be executioner?” one of the men behind him sobbed through his gag and Ghoul kicked him. 

The others grinned at him and the Dee Dees stepped forward. “I think Ghoul should be Judge, don’t you Dee Dee?” “Oh yes Dee Dee. He’s always so good at presiding over Jokerz” Woof and Weasel nodded and Ghoul gave an elegant if showy bow, arms stretched out like crooked wings. “It would be my honor to preside over this hearing” he said with manic, fake humbleness and the other four laughed. 

~*~

“Please, I have a family! We just wanted to get the war over with” Ghoul listened to the pleas as he sat on the raised chair and pretended to listen solemnly and closely, his hand over his mouth and resting on a crossed leg as he nodded, his mind really focused on Terry and how well Baskervilles was doing with Matt. When the pleas were cut off by Woof slapping a hand over the mouth Ghoul shifted and giggled, the giggles growing into true, angry laughter. 

“Don’t you think we wanted it over too, shit for brains? Blowing up the warehouse just stirred up the hornet’s nest” he leaped off the chair and landed in a crouch by the man, his face inches from the terrified T-Gang member’s. He tilted his head and felt the hat list, which probably made him look freakier what with him not bothering to push his hair out of face. Cold grey eyes looked into terrified green ones. “You have a family? Well, you should have thought about _them_ before yOU BLEW UP THE WAREHOUSE AND DOOMED YOURSELF” he screamed as he flew upwards and leaned back to kick the man in the chest as hard as he could, knocking himself a little off balance and sending the guy flying backwards. Ghoul turned back to the chair and waved a hand. 

“Death. Weasel, you’ve got the best shot in this little group, make him hurt. NEXT” Three gunshots later and Ghoul cutting the tape from the next guy’s mouth and they were ready to proceed, Ghoul feeling a bit lighter with five left to kill. This one he couldn’t even make out what he was saying, he was gibbering so much. So he called on his “jury” on whether or not the man was guilty. With the chorus of “Yes!” he signaled for Woof to snap the man’s neck and they proceeded with the third, Ghoul developing a small bounce in his step. 

 

“Oh, go ahead and kill me” the man sighed wearily and Ghoul pouted. “Well, that’s no fun. We’ll go with exile then” the man perked up, blinking in disbelief as the Jokerz made sounds of protest. “Really?" Ghoul raised a hand as he began grinning widely. “Oh, yea. If you survive walking through Pengiun’s turf with rival drugs taped to your body, we won’t bother you” The man’s hopeful expression turned to one of horror as the Jokerz erupted in laughter. He was dragged offstage screaming and Woof retaped his mouth and knocked him out. They would kill him later. 

The fourth was spitting mad, actually spitting into Ghoul’s face and causing the blond to slowly wipe it off his cheek. “Not a good start” he told the man conversationally and the man sneered at him. “I’m dead no matter what I do or say” Ghoul had to give him that one. He got to his feet and paced around the man thoughtfully. “Obviously you know why you’re here and what’s going to happen to you, so why on this good earth did you do it?” The man scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You crazy fucks can be a little predictable, and what better way to send a message? Good god you are stupid” Ghoul ignored that and sashayed around the man, making an obvious show of not listening as he danced to imaginary music in his head. This made the man bolder and he began ranting. Ghoul only paused when he got to the ranting about the people in the room, and tilted his head when the guy got round to Ghoul himself. 

“-And you, you freaky little fuck, What are you, boy or girl? Both? What, are you crying out for attention? Did mommy and daddy not love you? Bet you sleep around too, fucked every Jokerz member in this fucking room, you necrophiliatic slu-” 

**thunk**

**thunk**

**_thwack_ **

Ghoul faced the man, with a bored but hard expression, his hand raised and three of his knives quivering in the man’s forehead, his chest, and the floor between his knees. The man had moved so he was facing the audience and not the chair as Ghoul had paused halfway around walking around him. After a good long moment Ghoul flexed his still raised hand and lowered it. “Guilty as fuck. Death by stabbing” he finally said, relatively calmly despite the deep rage he felt. Bastard had it coming and he was glad he had killed him. The body fell over and he pulled his knives out of the body and floor before getting to the fifth guy.

But then the sixth started laughing. Just like Joker. 

Ghoul had avoided the last one-who was hardly more than a kid really despite obviously being really tall and gangly. Judging by the baby face under the tape, Ghoul was guessing at most sixteen. And this blond gangly teenager had given off weird vibes from the beginning of the whole situation. Now, Ghoul knew why. “It’s a Jack-In-The-Box!” he shouted, and backed up away from the kid as the once assumed securely trussed up final victim stood up and pulled the tape off of his own face, his laughter getting louder and louder. 

‘Jack-In-The-Box’ was a term for people Joker had personally tortured and turned insane and, well, just like him, and then left for members of the Jokerz to deal with as a joke. They were as feral as dogs with rabies and better off killed, if any Jokerz managed to survive the attack. It was rumored that J-Man was one of the Jack-In-The-Boxes, and the only one so far that had managed to survive his initial debut as it were, but since there was no-one who could confirm it or not, it was just speculation. 

The blond boy stepped up to the fifth victim and grabbed his neck as the man shrieked. The boy placed a foot firmly in the middle of the man’s back, yanking on the neck and shoving with his foot until the back and neck snapped, the man howling all the while. The boy brought his eyes up to Ghoul’s and grinned slowly. “Guilty. Death by me” he giggled, and then lunged at Ghoul, who just barely managed to get out of the way in time. Woof tackled the kid to the ground and the twins helped Ghoul up. This sort of surprised him; he’d assumed when the kid had gotten up everyone had run out of the theater. 

The blond boy thrashed under Woof as the Dee Dees and Ghoul continued backing up, Ghoul being held onto tightly by the twins. They were a little calmer with the Jack-In-The-Box held securely Woof. And then he somehow got out of Woof’s grip and sent the hyena-man sprawling. The boy was up and charging towards the Dee Dees and Ghoul, the twins shrieking and leaving Ghoul on his own. Ghoul dodged the attack and moved towards the middle of the stage, facing the boy all the while. His mind and heart were racing. Why had Joker left a Jack-In-The-Box in the line-up and then invited his own daughters? It didn’t make sense because while Joker beat the hell out of his wife, he had never harmed his little sweeties before. Like, _ever_. The boy watched him, eyes blown wide and manic. Ghoul watched him warily, refusing to let his eyes flick to where Weasel was creeping behind the boy with an old folding chair he’d found somewhere. “Hey kid. Kid. What’s your name, huh? What’s your name?” Ghoul had to keep the boy’s attention. He doubted he’d be able to truly talk him out of this, but the boy had talked earlier.

Light green eyes shifted, blinked and then refocused on Ghoul as the blond gave a shark-like grin. “Call me Prank” oh great. If he was going with a gang name it probably meant he was so messed up he couldn’t remember his real name. “Prank, kiddo, we’re on the same side. You work for Joker, right? We’re all on the same side” Lips pursed, though the buck teeth the boy had still poked out a little. He was cute, really. If he wasn’t currently going insane, he would be a really cute kid. If he had friends or went to school Ghoul had no doubt the boy had at least one person crushing on him despite the large teeth and gangly frame. “Prank, we are not going to touch you, I don’t even think we would have earlier. Okay? You are among friends” Ghoul spoke as though to a wild or beaten and scared animal, very much one wrong word or move would cause the kid to start attacking again. 

“Not the one holding the chair, he’s not” The boy decided and Ghoul winced. Weasel always seemed to get the short end of the stick. Prank turned around and lunged for Weasel’s throat as Ghoul growled in annoyance and lunged for the boy. “Prank, no!” he shouted. The twins reappeared and Delia got in front of Weasel as Deidre grabbed the cringing man away and held him tightly. Prank froze as soon as he saw the twins. “Hello new sisters” he said. Ghoul’s eyes bulged as his mouth dropped. No. Fucking. _Way_. The twins themselves looked like they had just gotten hit by a brick wall. 

 

Just then the doors to the theater banged open and Joker and Harley made their grand entrance, Joker strutting in the lead like he owned the place with Terminal toting his semi-automatic on one side in full costume and make-up, and J-Man on the other side with his revolver and also in his favorite outfit. Harley was a few feet behind the three and flanked by her hyaenas. J-Man whistled and Prank giggled again, grabbing one of Ghoul’s dropped knives and going obediently to where the Clown Prince of Crime was waiting with his ‘generals’ and wife. Joker placed a hand on the boy’s head and surveyed the damage in the theater, grinning more maniacally and larger (if that was scientifically possible) than usual, his dark eyes glinting deviously. “My my, I am so proud! No killing any of my Jokerz, and I take it you took out one of my enemies?” his eyes slid over to Ghoul for confirmation and Ghoul swallowed, nodding hollowly. Joker fondly stroked the face of the insane teenager and patted his straw-blond hair. 

“Surprise my duckies!” he cheerfully told his daughters. “I gave you revenge _and_ the brother you’ve been wanting! His name is Donnie and Jokerz name is Prank” there was a long moment of stunned silence before the twins seemed to go with it, squealing and running to hug their, apparently, new little brother. “He’s fourteen years old” Joker said proudly. “My own little boy. And before you ask” here he addressed Ghoul and Woof, “It was a legal...mostly....partly legal adoption. Though when we got him he wasn’t really interested in killing....but we soon fixed that” manic laughter that the daughters and new son joined in on and Ghoul let out a breathy and nervous chuckle. This was a nightmare. 

Harley stepped up to the family meeting and brushed J-Man out of the way as she ran a gentle hand through her new son’s hair. “Come on, all my babies. We’re making pancakes to celebrate the fact this went better than expected! Right Puddin?” she shot her husband a sharp glance as Bud nipped his master’s husband on the heel, causing the man to yelp. “Of course darling! And then we set our lovely children loose on the mall for bonding times!” Ghoul nodded at the last surviving T-Gang member in the theater. “Why don’t you all bond by taking turns mutilating and ripping him apart?” he suggested, feeling one hundred percent done with Jack Napier and his family for the night. He just wanted to get out of there. Harley signaled for all of the non family members of the Jokerz to leave and Ghoul slipped past them, his only goal was to get out to get some air. He realized his hat was clutched in one fist and he was shaking.

But it wasn’t from fear or adrenaline, exactly. There was no way he was going to have Terry anywhere near him like _this_. He pulled out his phone as he walked to his car and dialed the number.

 **”Wuzzup?”** Terry sleep-slurred and Ghoul growled softly, ferally. This wasn’t helping. “Terry. Don’t come today. Just stay in bed” his voice was shaking slightly with utter need and Ghoul clenched his fist on his dashboard as he rested his head on his steering wheel. **”Ghoul? Wha’s wrong? What..You sound...are you okay?”** Ghoul growled louder, the feelings of lust twisting in his gut and he decided to be mean. 

“No. I am not okay. I want to fuck you. So hard you can’t stand. I want you riding me, taught and bowed back as far as you can without breaking your neck or back, arms akimbo like wings” he said into the phone, all of his lust coloring his words as he described what the fantasy playing out in his head was. The breathing on Terry’s end quickened. **”Ghoul..."** Terry moaned softly and Ghoul grinned manically. 

“If you come today I will fuck you on top of my hood right in front of the Wayne Manor gates where anyone could be watching, stripping you naked right there and then drag you into the car and fuck you again, you riding me, your head thrown back with every time I hit your sweet spot as you chant my name like a prayer” he said seriously, the need thick in his voice. “I will drag my fingernails down your chest and fondle you. I will bite you so many times on your neck that you’ll have to wear a scarf for the next week or two” he paused to take a breath and groaned. Terry didn’t sound much better. 

_**"Fuck,**_ Ghoul!" The strangled protest told Ghoul quite a bit. “I made you come just by talking dirty, didn’t I?” the idea almost made _him_ come “Terry, sorry. But I just...not today” Terry cussed him out over the phone. **"F-fine, don’t come. You have a lot to answer for Friday then”** Terry finally ended the conversation and Ghoul smiled wryly. Yes, there was a lot to answer for on Friday. 

 

**FRIDAY**

Ghoul drummed his fingers on his steering wheel as he waited for Terry. He’d come a little early so he could do his job and the wait for the boy to come down the drive because he wanted a full take on how Terry was. Ghoul did not feel bad for Tuesday, oddly enough. He knew normally he would have, and rightfully should be feeling sorry right about now, but there was nothing but satisfaction that he caused Terry that much of a reaction. 

Ghoul supposed that Tuesday had been a potent mix of pent up developing feelings, the past several month’s sexual tension, and the fear that Prank had caused. Surviving Prank had been the straw that broke the camel’s back, as it were. But it had felt invigorating and Ghoul still didn’t hate himself for it. This was the first week of August. Four more months. Sixteen more weeks. The fact that the war was essentially done was great too, the only downside being Donnie. He hadn’t come to Ghoul’s apartment yet, but Ghoul knew that eventually the boy was going to show up, and probably have a keen interest in the Wayne family. 

Terry strode down the walk as Ghoul watched with interest. It was hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement in the early morning and so Terry was wearing dark shorts, a white tank top and a black unbuttoned t-shirt over it. With his longish hair falling into his eyes, Ghoul was having reconsiderations about Friday as well. The blond got out of his car and leaned against it, waiting for the teenager. His slight unease settled when he noticed another figure behind Terry and Ghoul raised his eyebrows at Bruce Wayne’s oldest son, Richard. And he was going to just call him by his full name that day because if he used his nickname he would lose it. 

Terry and Richard got to Ghoul and Richard folded his arms. “You gonna try anything today?” Ghoul gave him a look. “What do you think” he stated and looked at Terry. “Sorry, you mind getting in the back today?” the teen opened his mouth to protest, took another look at Richard and Ghoul, and got in the back without question. Richard looked back at Ghoul. “I don’t know what to think. Exactly what caused you to lose control-and no, I didn’t listen to the phone conversation but Terry is an open book” a muffled “HEY” from the car caused Ghoul’s mouth to twitch upward slightly. Ghoul took his phone out of his pocket and flipped to a picture he’d taken of Donnie, a few days after his ‘debut’ and when he was a little calmer. 

“This is Joker’s new son. Goes by Prank, real name Donnie, is fourteen years old. I already checked, it was a legal adoption” though it could be argued the events surrounding the adoption hadn’t been. He shook his head. “I didn’t even think Joker was _allowed_ to legally adopt anyone. But I met him Tuesday, before my route” 

Richard’s eyebrows had been going higher and higher the more Ghoul related the abridged story and he grabbed the phone to get a better look at the boy. “I’m guessing he almost killed you, and that’s why you...” Ghoul nodded. “Partly, more than likely. Anyway, I don’t know what Joker is going to do with Donnie, so keep an eye on your family, yea? I can keep Terry safe when he’s with me, but look after Matt. He’s closest in age to Donnie” Richard shook his head and sighed. “Okay, well, I’m going to tag along anyway today. To make sure you don’t try anything, and to make sure no-one from the Napier family tries anything” Ghoul rolled his eyes. “If Harley shows up, it’s because she said she might be around the area and she needed to get something I borrowed back” Richard stared at him and Ghoul stared back. “I do work for the family, you know. And Harley is far from being as insane as her husband and children”  
Richard rubbed his eyes and slipped into the car. “Let’s just get going. And do forgive me if I don’t tell her hi” Ghoul shrugged. “Fine. Don’t blame me if her boys pull you out of the car then. Bud and Lou can be protective hyaenas” Richard groaned and Ghoul smirked. “You should stay out of the underworld if you can’t take how nonsensical it can be” he advised the man.

~*~

The ride was fairly uneventful with Richard _right there_ and keeping a close eye on his brother and Ghoul. Ghoul noted with some amusement that every time the conversation strayed into even remotely dangerous territory, Mama Richard got it back into ‘safer’ waters. Terry and Ghoul soon started playing a little game to see just how ridiculous they could get the conversation with sexual innuendos before Richard tried to get it to something better. It got to the point where he made them only talk about children’s television shows, and that was gold in it’s own right. By the time they finished with the route Richard Greyson was beet red and Terry was bawling from laughing so hard. Bruce’s oldest son glared at the two. Well as much as he could with his mouth trying to twist into an embarrassed smile every few seconds. 

“Ghoul, tone it down” he said gruffly and the blond leaned forward with teasing interest. “What, interested? Sorry, taken” Richard reeled backwards and Terry started laughing even harder, practically roaring at this point. Ghoul waved at Terry before leaving the two standing in front of the Wayne Manor gates. It was amusing, it was. And just showed how much more sexual tension there was as well. 

He was suddenly having doubts as to whether they could keep the relationship legal until Terry’s birthday, and if he would survive the weeks even, what with Donnie now thrown into the mix.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Donnie is a real character. Like Andy, he comes from the tv series The Batman. However, to better fit with my story I amped up Donnie's insanity by about 20. a Jack-In-The-Box is my own slang term, but considering how many times Joker has pulled something like this, I really am surprised that nobody has coined it yet. because Donnie comes from an interesting homage episode of The Batman to the Batman Beyond movie, this chapter itself is a bit of an homage. Ghoul is taking the place of Scarecrow in the kangaroo court from the most recent batman movie (the bane one) and if you can catch them, several other references to batman series and works :) this chapter is essentially a love letter to some of my favorite Batman moments, especially the first half.
> 
> Also, everyone's 'special outfits' would be their outfits they wear in the comics and batman series they come from <3


	29. Explanations and Miracles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things happen that are good and great

**TUESDAY**

This time, Terry wasted no time getting to the point of the problem. Because the last two weeks had been pure torture for him that way. Every time he paused or even thought of tactics to ease into the subject of Carter Wilson, something happened that prevented it. Guilt on the birthday-though he had to admit it was a great way to spend a birthday and after his eighteenth he was strongly considering just making a habit of that, but maybe with his brother Matt and Matt’s dog along with Ghoul. Terry had a gut feeling that it would suit him just fine after the death of his mother and adoptive father. They had always been more enthusiastic about parties than he ever had. 

And then there had been last week. From Tuesday to Friday he had been almost literally locked into his bedroom-for his safety, they said. It was a load of crap. Terry had a feeling _Prank_ (or did he prefer Donnie? You never could tell with Jokerz at times) needed more protection than any of the Waynes. He was just a couple years older than Matt, for goodness sake! And his ‘entrance’ as Ghoul had put it, could not have endeared the boy to many of the Jokerz. So in a way, Terry felt sorry for him. 

It was Selena that had lifted the bedroom arrest. Terry had never really spent that much time with his stepmother, liking her but never knowing what to say. This made him love her. She had put a gentle hand on his shoulder and smiled fondly but wryly at him. “Don’t hold this against Bruce” she had said gently. “He loves you very much and has cause for concern. However, if Joker wanted the boy to be a purely destructive force, he would have waited until all the Jokerz members were dead before coming into the room” the blunt statement had sent a thrill of panic through Terry and Selena had squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. “No worries Terry. Harley won’t let him hurt you, she knows me and we still talk. Harley might be the Joker’s wife, but she doesn’t always follow his humor. If all else fails, Harley will take care of you. For me, she’ll take care of you” and when Terry looked into Selena’s eyes, he believed it. She then smiled mischeviously at him “go enjoy time with your boyfriend” and this was why he now loved her so very, very much. 

So When Terry got into the car he wasted no time because if he did, something would happen that would put it off again. “So,” he stated in a relatively calm voice he was proud of. “So what’s the deal with Carter, AKA Terminal? Why didn’t you say anything about him?” It ended slightly more accusatory than he had meant for it to, but it wasn’t angry so he considered it a personal win in the battle for self-control. Ghoul on his part sat very still and drummed his fingers on his steering wheel for a few moments before shrugging.

“Honestly? I had next to no clue about anything about him for years. He keeps himself to himself. It was only after he started dating Deidre that he began opening up to anybody” he shrugged and started the car as Terr shifted in impatience. He knew he had to sit through the explanation, but he suddenly wanted it over with. Maybe it had to do with how matter-of-fact Ghoul was being. Made Terry feel like he was over-reacting almost. _Almost_. “So anyway, disregarding his romantic life, he told me what happened to your friend a few weeks into the relationship. It was sort of too late I felt to mention him, and I didn’t foresee you getting to see him again” Ghoul shrugged apologetically. “If it makes you feel better, he has been going to see Maxine ever since. At first it was unwillingly, but now he goes twice a week on his own”

No. No that didn’t make things any better, it just made Terry more worried! What if Carter decided to finish the job on her?! Though the logic side of his brain reminded him that by this point Carter had been seeing Max for nearly a year and if he hadn’t tried to kill her at any point in the past, he wasn’t now. Terry decided he hated the logic side of his brain. It was easier to hate Carter Wilson than it was to admit maybe he had changed for the better. 

“You sure this is what happened? No 'protect Terry’ crap you like doing?” Ghoul shot him a look and then swerved to avoid hitting an early morning runner. He looked vaguely familiar to Terry, but he was pretty sure he would know for sure if the yellow and red hat came off the head.When they got past the distraction Ghoul turned hurt grey eyes on Terry. “I do it so you won’t get killed, Mon amore. At this point I would go insane if you died, Terrence McGinnis” Terry didn’t normally like the use of his full name, but that coupled with the honest and earnest comment made him warm and happy. 

“You’re my love too, Ghoul. I don’t want you hurt or dead either. You’re not allowed to have it a one way street. I reserve the right to ask Selena to get Harley to let you stay safe with me whenever things get life-threatening” Terry was very pleased to see a shade of pink creep up from Ghoul’s neck and cover his cheeks and ears. It was both revenge and an honest promise and Terry hoped Ghoul knew that. “Thank you, Terry” Ghoul muttered quietly as he left the car, and Terry realized he had never said something like that before. Not even to Dana. And suddenly he was happy. This, what he was feeling? The anger and annoyance and fondness and amusement and that inexplicable bubbling, happy feeling in his stomach? this must be true love.

~*~

They were curled around each other in the backseat with Ghoul resting his head on Terry’s chest. It was nice having Ghoul relaxed and completely open like this. Terry remembered the time when he had to coerce the blond into the back, and how tense Ghoul had been. Not anymore and that made Terry very happy. He stroked the long blond hair, recently cut back from small of the back to just above the elbows, and basked in the near-perfection that he had somehow lucked into. 

“Hey Ghoul?”

“Mhmm...?”

“Have you ever gone to France? What was it like?”

Ghoul laughed, making vibrations in Terry’s stomach. “Warm in summer and gloomy in the winter. I remember it fondly because of my grandmere-my grandmother. She was a rich woman but always went and bought her bread herself. She dined with her servants and when I stayed with her, I did too. I inherited everything from her actually” he paused and wrapped bony but warm arms around Terry’s middle. “She would have loved you actually. You two have the same sense of morality” Terry smiled, feeling warm from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. “Bet I would have loved her too” he responded. “And my mother, she would have liked you too. She wouldn’t have held the Jokerz thing against you. She judged people by who they are, not what” Ghoul smiled into Terry’s stomach and Terry chuckled, wriggling a little because it tickled. This caused both of them to laugh and hold on tighter-until a sharp rap on the window caused Ghoul to fall off Terry with a shout. 

Terry looked out the window and was rather ticked to find a leering Jason staring at him through the glass. He helped Ghoul back on the seat, aware both of them were beat red. Terry helped Ghoul up and then clambered out of the car to meet Jason. 

“Bruce is okay-ish with Ghoul right now” Jason said. “But he wants you inside immediately after the route is done?” Terry nodded though felt rankled at the rude interruption. “Why’re you even outside? Thought you were hiding in your room since you found out there’s a mini-me of Joker running around” Jason’s face tightened and for a moment Terry thought Jason was going to punch him. But the skunk-haired man clenched his fists and turned around to the gate. “Just get in the motherfucking manor and tell your lapdog goodbye” Terry scowled. “Just because you’ve never had somebody doesn’t mean you have to take it out on us!” he shouted. Jason froze for a long moment before continuing. “Just get inside, brat!” Jason shouted. Terry turned sadly to Ghoul, who shrugged. They hugged and kissed and then Terry jogged to catch up with Jason.

 

**FRIDAY**

“I am actually not surprised they decided to call the brat a ‘Second Recluse’ considering he spends most of his awake life at night night-owling with his boyfriend” Jason stated diplomatically as Terry poked dejectedly at his frosted flakes. He and Ghoul had been spotted by a random journalist and it had exploded into tabloids. Terry was caught by whiplash by how fast the story had happened. Tim snorted at Jason’s comment, though turned it into a cough when Helena gave him a sharp look that rivaled the best of her mother’s. “Timmy, you’re known as the incestuous one. I think Terry’s is a slightly less insulting or serious allegation, don’t you?” at least Tim had the decency to look ashamed and embarrassed. Jason just rolled his eyes. “Well, he’s outed now. I’m actually laughing at the description of Ghoul though” 

The description had been ‘mysterious gothic prince charming’ and no doubt the ‘prince charming’ in question was smashing his head against a wall or laughing fit to burst. If he had even gotten the tabloid in question. Terry thought the chances were high, but couldn’t be sure. There had been no phone call asking him why again he’d even needed an ice cream at two in the fucking morning yet anyway, so Terry was taking it as a sign Ghoul was having a calm and relaxing time not knowing what happened. Besides, who believed tabloids? He never had.

Terry got up abruptly and took his mushy bowl of cereal to the sink. The family used the kitchen table when it was only one to five of the kids eating dinner or other meals. Easier access to the sink where Alfred mandated all dishes must be placed after every meal. “I’m going to see Max” he muttered. It was mid-afternoon so he felt perfectly justified.He liked sitting with her, even if it hurt seeing her with brown hair instead of bright pink and so washed out without the tan that went over her dark skin. Her hair was also chin-length and just did not look right on her. She had always hated her hair anything longer than below her ears and used to throw fits when they were in kindergarten and her mom made her wear it long and in bows. 

~*~

The floor where Max’s room was located was quiet always. The nurses were quiet, the soft beeps of machines keeping people alive. It was quiet like a tomb. Normally. 

Today there was some rushing and confusion, and it was headed in the direction of Max’s room. With a deep feeling of dread he began running towards her bedroom, though he petered to a halt when he saw someone familiar leaning against the outside of the bedroom looking thunderstruck. Doctors were running in and out of the room and there was Terminal. Terry’os uneasiness turned into full blown panic and he grabbed Terminal by the shirt and pulled him down. “What did you do? What happened?!” Black hair swung into Terry’s face and scared brown eyes stared into Terry’s blue ones. 

“She woke up”

everything slowed down for Terry. He swung Terminal away from him, barely registering the man was holding flowers, and dashed to the open door and barely made her out. Her head was up, her eyes were open. “M-Max?!” she turned her head to him and his heart plummeted and soared all at once. Then the door shut and he was alone with Terminal. But Max was awake.

 

_Max was going to be alright again_


End file.
